Is It al-Douri? Iraqi Officials Believe Former General Killed

Douri Was Top Saddam-Era Official Never Captured

The highest profile Saddam-era official never caught during the US occupation, Gen. Izzat al-Douri, is believed to have been killed recently, according to Iraqi officials.

Douri had been a leader in a faction called the Naqshbandi Order, which Iraqi officials have claimed has been supporting ISIS in recent months. He was said to have died near Tikrit, though members of his force deny the claim, and DNA tests are pending.

Douri was the “king of clubs” in the notorious deck of cards issued by US occupation forces while looking for former Ba’athist officials, and has had a significant bounty on his head for years.

At 72-years-old, it isn’t clear how active Douri even theoretically could’ve been anymore, but Iraqi officials seem to be keen to hype his apparent death, likely since he was the last remaining member of the 1968 military coup.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.