Video Shows ‘Slain’ Saddam Aide al-Douri Alive and Well

King of Clubs Likely Still at Large

The highest ranking Saddam-era official never caught during the US occupation in Iraq, Gen. Izzat al-Douri was reportedly killed by Iraqi forces near Tikrit back in April of last year, one of the military’s most high-profile “gains” of the year.

But a new video broadcast by Saudi Arabia’s al-Hadath TV appears to show al-Douri, alive and well, and talking about the importance of the war against the Shi’ite Houthis in Yemen, calling for the “pursuit of Iranian agents” in the area.

There is no specific timestamp to the video, and the Houthi war has been ongoing since March of last year, so theoretically it could’ve taken place in that brief period, and he could still have been killed afterward. This, however, is seen as unlikely.

Iraqi officials had insisted they’d conducted DNA tests on the slain man believed to be al-Douri, and accused him of being in league with ISIS. His supporters had denied he was killed, however, and this is the first apparent appearance since then.

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.