Death of Hussein Aide (al-Douri) Is Confirmed

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 12 - Former officials of the Baath Party confirmed Saturday on their Web site the death of Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the last of Saddam Hussein's inner circle still at large in Iraq and a man long sought by the American military command as the effective leader of the Baathist insurgent underground here.

"On the blessed soil of Iraq, the soul of our comrade in struggle, and field commander of the heroic resistance, Izzat Ibrahim, passed away to his creator at dawn yesterday," the posting said. The Web site, which is considered an authentic voice of the Baathist underground, gave no cause of death, though Mr. Ibrahim was known to have had leukemia since the late 1990's.

American officials would not immediately speculate on the effect Mr. Ibrahim's death would have on the insurgency. Despite the Web posting's confirmation that he was considered the leader of the resistance, and despite American commanders' long-held belief that he was a crucial figure in organizing and financing the insurgency, it was unknown how active a role he had played in recent months.

He was widely feared and despised by the public, on a par with Mr. Hussein's two sons, killed by American troops in 2003, and Ali Hassan al-Majid, the man known as Chemical Ali, who is in American military custody with Mr. Hussein and dozens of other former top Baathist officials.

Whazza matter, you?

It says they confirmed it on their web site.

Don't you get it? (Sigh!) I'll spell it out.

A. Yesterday, on their web site, they reported he was dead, but it wasn't confirmed.

B. Today, they reported on their web site that they confirmed their earlier report.

What isn't clear? First they reported it, then they confirmed it. It is good enough to the NYT, so it should be good enough for anybody.

You sound like the type that would want to interrupt their mourning, to ask to see a body, even though you know that, as good Islamonazis, they have to bury him in an unmarked grave, intact* (Allah, the All Powerful is powerless to reassemble him if an Infidel defiles him by stealng a piece for testing) within 24 hours, or he will go to Muslim Hell.

Now do you understand?

* By special Dispensation, this provision specifically does not apply to those who self destruct as a means to killing Infidels as part of a Martyrdom Operation. See P189, pp17, sec 297-f, sub-sect 16 of the footnotes to Hadith 3146, as amended...

Baath supporters confirm Saddam aide Ibrahim dead

BAGHDAD, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Iraq's Baath party supporters confirmed on Saturday reports of the death of Saddam Hussein's deputy Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, who was seen as a key figure in the insurgency since Saddam's fall in 2003.

"On the soil of Arabic Iraq, the soul of Comrade Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri returned to God the Creator on Friday at dawn," said a statement on alBasrah.net which publishes news from Baath supporters in Iraq. Al Arabiya satellite television had reported on Friday that Ibrahim, the most senior member of the former regime still at large, had died, but since his whereabouts were unknown there was still some uncertainty about his fate.

The alBasrah.net statement, which was dated Saturday, described Ibrahim as "the field commander for the heroic resistance".

There was no independent verification of his death.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said earlier his death would be a good thing for Iraq and a blow to the insurgency.

Ibrahim 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. He was the deputy chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council which Saddam headed.

An analyst in Baghdad said Ibrahim's death could change the shape of the insurgency in Iraq.

"Baathists now are in two camps -- one which wants to join the political process and another, which is influenced and led by Ibrahim, which believes in armed struggle," political analyst Hazim Naimi told Reuters.

"Ibrahim was against the political process. Now with his death the balance will go towards taking part in the political process. We will see a new generation of Baathists."

LOYAL

Ibrahim, a red-haired and moustachioed figure who was among Saddam's most loyal aides, had been widely rumoured to have cancer and had been very ill while in hiding.

His family hails from the region around Tikrit, where his father worked as an ice seller. Despite a basic education and no academic qualifications, his loyalty to Saddam helped him to take prominent positions in the leadership.

He was one of the three surviving plotters, along with Saddam and former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, who brought the Baath Party to power in a coup in 1968.

Following the coup, he continued to retain a key position in the Baath rule, one of few close confidants who never fell out of favour with Saddam.

After the toppling of Saddam's regime, Ibrahim went into hiding and was believed by U.S. commanders to be directly involved in funding and guiding the insurgency against U.S.-led forces, as well as brokering an alliance between Baathist insurgents and militant Islamists.

Days before announcing his death, the Web site issued a statement from Ibrahim himself in which he outlined the new "political and strategic programme of the Iraqi resistance", urging insurgents to attack U.S. forces in Iraq.

"Many mistakes happened during the Baath ruling but the party -- God willing -- will work on fixing them as soon as possible," he said in the statement.

"We have started building a (united) resistance front which will include all the nationalist and Islamic resistance groups working in the field," it said.

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