Top Iraqi militant Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri 'killed'

[Ahmed JO]

Al-Douri was vice-chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council until the US 2003 invasion

Fugitive Iraqi militant leader Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, a former right-hand man to Saddam Hussein, has been killed, Iraqi media say.

They say he died near the northern town of Hamreen in Irbil province.

Al-Douri, 72, led the Naqshbandi Order, one of the main insurgent groups in Iraq and a key force behind the recent rise of Islamic State (IS).

He was deputy to Saddam Hussein, who was ousted when US-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003 and executed in 2006.

Al-Douri was regarded as the most high-profile official of Saddam Hussein's Baath party to successfully evade capture after the invasion, and had a large bounty on his head for years.

He was the King of Clubs in the famous pack of cards the US issued of wanted members of Saddam Hussein's regime after its defeat.

There have been reports of al-Douri's death or capture before, but correspondents says this is the most credible so far.

Iraqi forces, backed by US-led air strikes, have seized large areas from IS and its allies in recent months.

However, the jihadist group still controls swathes of northern and western Iraq, including the second city of Mosul.

 

[UAE]

Woot! Is this news authentic? Can you post the source please.

 

[UAE]

Alarabiya reported it but I don't know how genuine this news is? It could be fabricated who knows.

 

[Ahmed JO]

Alarabiya reported it but I don't know how genuine this news is? It could be fabricated who knows.

Yeah he's been reported dead many times but there's also a picture of (allegedly) him dead on Twitter. It could be false but this is the most credible so far.

 

[Lieutenant]

Ba'ath Party denied the news I read while ago.

 

[vegito12]

I think it will be interesting to see if, he really is alive or dead as if previous reports have said he was alive after it was said to be said he was dead and now it has happened again. I think, more investigations need to be done and also it will be interesting to find out what has happened to him and is he even alive or really dead. I think he could be hiding or trying to evade capture and fighting the enemy somewhere else and hope he is found soon.