U.S. Arrests Wife of Saddam Deputy

26/11/2003| IslamWeb

US forces have detained wife and daughter of Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, who is the most wanted man in Iraq after Saddam Hussein. Lieutenant Colonel William MacDonald, spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, said the two women, along with a son of Ibrahim's doctor, were caught during a raid on Tuesday morning. "Task Force Ironhorse soldiers received information indicating that the wife and supporters of Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri were hiding in Samarra," said MacDonald. MacDonald said there was no indication the former Iraqi general was in the area at the time. Last week, US forces put a bounty of 10 million dollar on the head of al-Duri as they stepped up the hunt for a man seen as one of Saddam's closest henchmen. "They are being detained and held for questioning," MacDonald said, referring to the three captured Iraqis. MacDonald did not have any information about the age or name of the wife. **Number Six*** Ibrahim was one of Saddam's top lieutenants before the war and number six on the US military's 55-strong most-wanted list. Duri, now 61, was the prime mover behind the ousted regime's adoption of Islamist rhetoric through the 1990s and stands accused by the coalition of playing a leading role in the resistance attacks on its troops. Two weeks ago, US fighter jets dropped bombs on one of Ibrahim's houses near Tikrit, destroying it. **PHOTO CAPTION*** House of Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, No. 6 on the list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis and one of Saddam Hussein's top aides, sits in rubble after US bombing in the al-Dour city near Tikrit, in this Nov. 20, 2003 file picture. Al-Douri's wife and daughter, whose names were not immediately available, were apprehended Tuesday during a raid in Samarra, 115 kilometers (70 miles) north of Baghdad