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DAMASCUS, Syria — A former top deputy to Saddam Hussein has urged followers in a letter to turn down proposals for reconciliation talks with the United States or the Iraqi government, according to former Baath party members outside Iraq familiar with the letter. It is unclear if the message from Izzat Ibrahim, Saddam's former vice president and now a fugitive with a $10 million bounty on his head, is being followed. But it appears aimed at blunting a flurry of diplomacy to stabilize Iraq, including efforts by several Arab governments to persuade Iraqi Sunni insurgents to lay down arms and...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A former Iraqi general, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, is reported to be coordinating attacks in Iraq by foreign fighters and Iraqi regime loyalists, a US defense official said. "There are reports that the al-Douri is coordinating the attacks," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The reports in military channels fingering al-Douri as the coordinator of the attacks probably came from the recent capture in Mosul of a former secretary of al-Douri and two senior members of Ansar al-Islam who were close to the general, the official said. Number six on the US list of 55...

LONDON [MENL] -- Aides of deposed President Saddam Hussein, under the guise of Al Qaida fighters, have been leading the insurgency against the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. Islamic sources said many of the Al Qaida-aligned cells that have appeared over the last two years stemmed from units in the Saddam military. The sources said Baathist operatives have adopted Islamic identities to exploit support among Muslims for Al Qaida. The Baathist strategy was formed during Saddam's rule, the sources said. They pointed to the "Return to Faith Campaign" directed by then-Iraqi Vice President Izzat Ibrahim Al Douri, which sought to curry...

BAGHDAD, July 21 (UPI) -- Iraqi security reportedly discovered three missiles carrying nuclear heads concealed in a concrete trench northwest of Baghdad, official sources said Wednesday. The official daily al-Sabah quoted the sources as saying the missiles were discovered in trenches near the city of Tikrit, the hometown of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "The three missiles were discovered by chance when the Iraqi security forces captured former Baath party official Khoder al-Douri who revealed during interrogation the location of the missiles saying they carried nuclear heads," the sources said. They pointed out that the missiles were actually discovered in...

Saddam VP's hideout found 07/12/2007 16:07 - (SA) Baghdad - Security forces stormed a hideout belonging to Izzet al-Douri, the former Iraqi vice president under Saddam Hussein, in a village near Tikrit, 170km north of Baghdad, an Iraqi official said on Friday. They broke into the hideout based on confirmed intelligence that al-Douri was using it to hold meetings with his aides, said the source who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The forces did not find al-Douri, but seized documents with information on the al-Qaeda terrorist network and other militias, their activities and the techniques used to conduct their...

The United States has concluded that Syria helped finance the Sunni insurgency in Iraq. Officials said the regime of President Bashar Assad used the state-owned Commercial Bank of Syria to relay hundreds of millions of dollars to Saddam Hussein loyalists in Iraq. They said the money has been deployed to finance the insurgency against the U.S.-led coalition primarily in Iraq's Sunni Triangle. The Commercial Bank of Syria held more than $1 billion in Saddam regime accounts on the eve of the U.S.-led war in Iraq in March 2003, officials said. Most of that money stemmed from Iraqi arms and...

Saddam's nephew finds sanctuary in Syria By Con Coughlin in Baghdad (Filed: 18/05/2003) A leading member of Saddam Hussein's family has been discovered living in Damascus under the protection of the Syrian government after fleeing Iraq last week, The Telegraph can reveal. Fatiq al-Majid, one of Saddam's nephews, entered Syria last Monday after leaving Iraq at the al-Rabie'a checkpoint, which is under the control of American troops. Majid was given a Syrian visa and made his way to Damascus, where he is now living in exile. Majid confirmed his presence in Damascus when contacted by telephone by The Telegraph last...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2005 – Coalition forces continue the hunt for Izzat Ibrihim al-Duri, long-time Saddam Hussein associate, in spite of the latest Baath party announcement of his death, Multinational Force Iraq officials in Baghdad, Iraq, said today. Coalition officials question the validity of the Baath party claim, officials said, and a reward of up to $10 million remains for information leading to his capture or gravesite. Conflicting reports have arisen regarding al-Duri. On Nov. 12, a Baathist Web site reported his death, but the site's author has made false claims in the past, officials noted. Another Web site, also...

Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, aide to Saddam Hussein, died on Friday, al-Arabiya TV channel quoted a statement by the Baath party as saying. Al-Douri, vice chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council under Saddam's regime, ranks No. 6 among the 55 most wanted by the United States with a 10-million-dollar bounty on his head. He died early Friday, the statement said, without giving more details.

Former Saddam Deputy Arrested in Iraq 02:12 AM EST - September 06, 2004 The Associated Press BAGHDAD, Iraq Iraqi authorities claimed on Sunday to have captured Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the most wanted member of Saddam Hussein's ousted dictatorship, but there was confusion over the report, as the Iraqi defense minister said word of his arrest was "baseless."There have been incorrect reports of al-Douri's arrest in the past as U.S. and Iraqi forces hunt for the man who was once one of Saddam's most senior deputies. Sunday's report centered on a raid near al-Douri's hometown of Adwar, north of Baghdad.Iraq's top...

Alert! There are very strong indications that Eizat Aldori the deputy of Saddam has been arrested near Tikrit! After his arrest by the Iraqi Police and the US forces, 150 members of his guards tried to free him but most of them either killed or escaped. More details later! Congratulations for the victims of Abo-Al-Thaleg!

AMERICAN and British intelligence are in secret negotiations to seize Saddam Hussein’s right-hand man. General Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, Saddam’s former deputy, is believed to be at the pinnacle of a pyramid of terrorists, mercenaries and supporters of the old regime waging war on allied forces in Iraq. Exclusive interviews with Paul Bremer, who runs the US-led coalition provisional authority, Dr David Kay, head of the Iraqi survey group that is searching for Saddam’s weapons, and senior military and intelligence officers in Iraq have revealed that the Americans have stepped up their efforts to seize al-Douri and stem the flow of...

Ba'ath official held as soldiers die Oct 2 2003 American soldiers have arrested a suspected former Ba'ath Party official in northern Iraq, as three American soldiers were killed in separate attacks. A soldier from the 1st Armoured Division was shot and killed while on patrol in the al-Mansour district of western Baghdad, the US command said. A female soldier from the 4th Infantry Division also died when a roadside bomb exploded about 300 yards from the main US base in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown. Two other soldiers were wounded in the blast. Another soldier from the 4th Infantry Division died...

'King of clubs' being sheltered by Syrian army By Damien Mcelroy in Damascus (Filed: 11/05/2003) The king of clubs from America's card deck of most wanted Iraqis is being sheltered at a military base in the Syrian capital Damascus, according to a Gulf diplomat. Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, a former vice-president of Iraq and one of Saddam Hussein's closest henchmen, is said to be under the protection of Syria's Republican Guard in the decrepit military base near the airport. He is among thousands of regime figures who are believed to have slipped into Syria before Damascus sealed the border. Izzat had...