Saddam Hussein's deputy, who cooperated with IS, killed
Iraqi army says Baathist commander Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri assisted rebels and describes his death as a 'heavy blow' to IS.
The Iraqi army has killed Saddam Hussein's former deputy Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri on Friday, according to Arab media sources that quoted the governor of Saladin Province. Al-Douri has been accused of cooperation with the Islamic State group in the past.
The US military has unsuccessfully sought to capture al-Douri for years. He was considered one of the most prominent still-living symbols of Saddam Hussein's regime. The al-Arabiya network showed images allegedly of al-Douri's body.
Al-Douri and other former senior officers in Hussein's regime have frequently been accused of assisting the Islamic State group in taking over large swathes of Iraq. The group has seized control of about a third of Iraq in the past year, as well as much territory in Syria.
By supporting IS, al-Douri and his associates, who were part of a Sunni government, are challenging Iraq's current Shiite central government.
Douri was killed in a military operation, Raed al-Jubouri, the governor of Salahuddin province, told Reuters. He said "a group of security forces went and surrounded the area and those terrorists were killed. Three of them were suicide bombers and blew themselves up. Amongst the bodies was Douri's."
Last year senior Iraqi officials claimed that al-Douri had formed a militia working with IS, which his associates confirmed. Baghdad described his death as a "heavy blow" to the Islamist organization. Al-Jubouri said the commander "is considered a mastermind for this terrorist group... For sure, this will have an impact on them ... There will be a break among them."
The killing comes on the heels on a significant campaign by the Iraqi military in which it successfully retook the city of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's birthplace.
Al-Douri was officially the No. 2 man in Iraq's ruling hierarchy. He served as vice chairman of Saddam's Revolutionary Command Council, was one of Saddam's few longtime confidants and his daughter was married briefly to Saddam's son, Odai, who was killed with his brother, Qusai, by US troops in Mosul.
When Saddam's Baathist regime collapsed as US troops occupied Baghdad, al-Douri disappeared. He was No. 6 on the most-wanted list of 55 Iraqis after the invasion. When Saddam was killed months later and more regime figures were caught, al-Douri became the most prominent fugitive -- and US authorities soon linked him to the Sunni insurgencies that erupted against the American occupation and the Shiite-led government that replaced Saddam.
Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report.
