Reports of Saddam aide's death could be a ruse

Reuters ^ | 13 Nov 2005 | Paul Tait

[ncountylee]

BAGHDAD, Nov 13 (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces in Iraq are treating with caution reports that Saddam Hussein's deputy has died because it could be a tactic to mislead those still hunting for him, the U.S. military said on Sunday.

Conflicting reports continue to circulate about whether Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the most senior member of Saddam's deposed government still at large, is alive or dead.

"How much of this is pure propaganda to say he is dead is hard to know," said U.S. military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Steven Boylan. "He's an important figure for us to know whether he's alive or not."

Ibrahim's whereabouts remain unknown two-and-a-half years after Saddam was ousted, making his fate uncertain, and there has been no independent confirmation of his death.

Al Arabiya satellite television reported on Friday that Ibrahim had died after a long illness. Apparent confirmation came from Baath party supporters in a statement on Saturday on a Web site used by supporters of Saddam's outlawed party.

But other media reports said the former Revolutionary Command Council deputy chairman might be still alive and there was no conclusive evidence either way.

One family member in Tikrit, where Ibrahim grew up in humble circumstances, said he could well be dead.

"We expected him to be dead because he was ill for a long time with cancer. But actually we don't know where he is now," the relative, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters.

Ibrahim, with distinctive red hair and a pencil-thin moustache, rose from lowly beginnings with only a basic education to become one of Saddam's most loyal followers.

He was number six on the U.S. military's list of the 55 most-wanted Iraqis, with a $10 million reward offered for his capture.

"When you've got that much money on your head you'd expect they would have to be fairly careful about the way they move about," Boylan said.

"We rely on the Iraqi people to let the Iraqi security forces know where these people are," he said, adding that the military was still "actively searching" for Ibrahim and others on the list.

Ibrahim has been credited with a major role in organising the bloody insurgency by militants in Iraq's once-dominant Sunni Arab minority against the Shi'ite and Kurdish-led government.

Analysts say his death could change the shape of the insurgency in Iraq because he believed in armed struggle and opposed Baathists who supported joining the political process.

[DoSomethingAboutIt]

I just want to say I called this. Is it immature? Yes. But I did.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1520276/posts?page=97#97

[Republic_of_Secession.]

Though a couple of the defense lawyers who were working on the defense team of Hussein & co have been killed.

[freekitty]

Could be a ruse.