Posted on 04/23/2008 5:27:31 PM PDT by blam
Saddam Hussein's ally Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri 'captured' in Iraq
By Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent
Last Updated: 12:57am BST 24/04/2008
American forces have captured Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party heir, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the most wanted former regime official still at large, it has been reported.
A Middle Eastern television channel said Douri, a key force in the country's devastating insurgency, had been seized in a mountain raid in Saddam's home province of Salahaddin.
Most wanted: Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri
Douri was King of Clubs in the deck of cards of most wanted Iraqis issued to American soldiers after the war.
But he was almost unique in evading capture within the top rungs of the regime deposed by the US-led coalition in 2003.
A US spokesman said the Baghdad command was unable to confirm his capture, but the television reports said he had been handed to US forces and DNA tests would be carried out to confirm his identity.
Abu Mohammed, described as Douri's representative in Syria, claimed the reports were fabricated, saying Douri was free and "leading the resistance and jihad in Iraq".
Western intelligence credited Douri, whose name derives from the neighbouring village to Saddam's native town, with a continuing important role in the insurgency.
A wizened bureaucrat with red hair, the former vice-chairman of Saddam's Revolutionary Command Council was not cut out for the underground but he survived for five years on guile and a broad range of connections.
Mowafaq al-Rubaie, Iraq's National Security adviser, told a Saudi newspaper that Syria was sheltering Douri and accused the 65-year-old of playing a key role connecting former regime officials with al-Qa'eda followers.
As the last recognised leader of the Iraqi Ba'ath Party, he found post-war support in Syria and used his position in Damascus to frustrate attempts by moderates to start negotiations with democratic regimes.
Known since childhood as the Ice Man, his state of health was rumoured to be fragile and several reports had said he died of leukaemia.
But he enjoyed strong tribal support among Sunni Muslim sympathisers as well as Al-Qa'eda sympathisers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Iraqi court announced that Tariq Aziz, the urbane Christian Iraqi who was the dictatorship's voice to the world, would face trial for the persecution of Baghdad merchants in the 1990s.
The announcement of charges for Aziz and six other top officials, including Saddam's half brother, Watban Ibrahim al-Hassan, dashed hopes in the Vatican that the long-serving foreign minister would be freed on grounds of ill-health.
The trial centres on the execution of 42 merchants rounded up after the first Gulf War and accused of profiteering from Iraq's isolation.
What? I just read that he was hiding out in Syria! Guess I’m behind in my current events. Been out buying real estate in this down market.
I remember he was the one with the red hair and they never could find him!Great catch!
Is FL_Engineer still around; we need a deck update.
Maui Wowie.... heehee.
I remember the red head on the list..Good news indeed.
Rats...I so hoped it was true!
"Shut up you minion, you (U.S.) agent, you monkey. You are addressing Iraq," Ibrahim said. "You are insolent. You are a traitor to the Islamic nation," he spat out as Qatar's Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani tried to shut him up."
So the redheaded Monkey did not die of cancer Hahaa....captured.
Excellent and long overdue news!
I don’t think FL_engineer is still around.
There was/is $10 million on his head.
Wow, I thought they had already nabbed that one.
Can’t remember the handle of the Freeper that was tracking the deck.
GRRRRREAT news! (if true) Thanks for the ping. Thanks for the link.
News not yet verified....so may be another false alarm.
Another false story...dang.
I can’t find confirmation yet. Our military, if it’s true, would confirm tomorrow. Frustrating, because we’ve had these false alarms on al Douri before.
Thanks for the info...He is one we really want...I was excited..Ping me if you find that it is true after all.
I’m in the middle of a thunderstorm..using my battery.
You think that Iraqis or Jordanians would be more gentle questioners than we would?
BAGHDAD (AFP) — The US military on Wednesday denied reports it is holding Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, the number two under Saddam Hussein.
"We are aware of media reports that Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri has been captured," the military told AFP in an email.
"At this point, we can say that he is not in coalition custody and we have no reports that he was captured by Iraqi security forces either."
Al-Arabiya television channel reported that a man suspected to be Duri, who tops the Iraqi government's list of most-wanted fugitives, has been captured in Iraq.
The man suspected to be Duri was captured by Iraqi forces and handed over to the US military, it said citing Iraqi security sources.
Al-Arabiya said the man was caught in Hamrin between the provinces of Salaheddin and Kirkuk and was being moved to Baghdad.
DNA tests are being conducted to confirm his identity, the Dubai-based Saudi-owned channel added.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.