The US military says a
reward of up to $10m is still available for
information leading to the capture of key ex-Saddam
Hussein aide Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri.
They are treating with caution claims on websites
linked to the former ruling Baath party that Douri
died of cancer.
Some Baathist websites which published the original
death notice also appear to be questioning the
announcement.
One carried a statement from loyal Saddam Hussein
aide Salah al-Mukhtar saying Douri had not died.
"To my brothers and sisters, I want to tell you that
[Saturday's] statement was false and Mr Izzat
Ibrahim al-Douri is in good health," said the
statement, signed by Mr Mukhtar, who was Saddam
Hussein's former ambassador to India.
Another website said the Baath party communique had
been forged by what it called the occupation
authority's intelligence and their local hirelings
in order to sow confusion and chaos among the ranks
of the resistance.
The death notice disappeared abruptly from its web
pages after standing for 24 hours, the BBC's Jim
Muir in Baghdad says. ....
Lengthy illness
Douri was number six on the US list of 55
most-wanted members of Saddam Hussein's regime. The
top five have all been captured. |
Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri,
former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's
second-in-command, is shown in this March 6, 2003
photo. (AP Photo)
Saddam Hussein's former deputy, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri |
|
He was diagnosed with leukaemia several years ago -
but his subsequent recovery enabled him to pursue a
challenging domestic and foreign work schedule.
He often represented Iraq at foreign gatherings -
most markedly in the run-up to the US-led invasion
of April 2003.
Douri was considered to have been Saddam Hussein's
daily right-hand man.
He was deputy commander-in-chief of the armed forces
and held a senior post on the committee responsible
for northern Iraq when chemical weapons were used in
1988, killing thousands of Kurds at Halabja.
He served as vice-chairman of the Revolutionary
Command Council and was a key commander in the
suppression of the failed Shia uprising in 1991.
There have been persistent reports that he was
unwell ever since he went into hiding following the
invasion.
In recent years, he has been accused of financing
insurgent groups in Iraq.
www.bbc.co.uk
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