Death of Al-Douri demise of Iraq's Baathist regime

BAGHDAD, April 17 (KUNA) -- Governor of Salahuddine province Ra'ed Al-Jabouri confirmed Friday the death of Izzet Al-Douri - vice president of the Iraq's deposed regime and top aide of former president Saddam Hussein.
Al-Douri was killed in a security operation, led by the Fifth Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces to the east of central city of Tikrit, some 140 km northwest of Baghdad, this afternoon.
He was spotted in a three-vehicle convoy moving between Al-Alam neighborhood and Jebal Hamrain, Secretary General of Bader Organization Hadi Al-Ameri said.
His body is being moved to Baghdad for autopsy after which Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi will make an official statement on the operation, Al-Ameri added.
Al-Douri was accompanied by 10 men thee of them were wearing explosive belts and attempted to blow up themselves when they felt trapped.
The security operation followed two weeks of surveillance, spokesman of Ahl Al-Haq organization Na'im Al-Abboodi said.
Al-Douri was the last icon of the deposed regime of the Arab Socialist Baathist Party. He was the second strongman in Saddam's tenure.
Born in July, 1942, Al-Douri was married to five women and got 24 children - 11 males and 13 females.
He belongs to Albu-Harba branch of Al-Mawashet tribe in Al-Dour city, Salahuddine province, and studied at Al-A'dhamiya high school before joining the Baath Party.
He rose to eminence after the coup of July 17, 1968, which brought the Baath Party to power and assumed the portfolios of agriculture and interior.
He was appointed deputy commander of the Revolutionary Command Council and then promoted to Deputy Commander of the Armed Forces after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
He served as commander of the northern military command in the run-up to the liberation of Iraq (March 19 to May 1, 2003).
He continued to be Saddam's closest aide until the regime was toppled in 2003, and then proclaimed himself as secretary general of the Baath Party in lieu of Saddam who was later captured and executed.
Al-Douri played a key role in the suppression of the popular uprising of March 1991 when he used brutal force against the residents of Al-Ahwar region - the Tigris-Euphrates marshlands in the southeast Iraq and along the borders with Iran.
He survived an assassination attempt in 1998.
After the 2003 liberation of Iraq, Al-Douri disappeared and issued from time to time statements encouraging insurgency against the US-led coalition.
He remained on "the personality identification playing cards" - the list of former Iraqi officials most-wanted for the US.
The list was developed by the US military who set aside USD 10 million reward for any information that could lead to the arrest or the death of Al-Douri.
On November 11, 2005, Al-Douri was reportedly killed but the Iraqi Interior Ministry refuted the reports later on.
In 2009 the Baath Party was divided into two branched, one led by Al-Douri and the other by Younes Ahmad.
Al-Douri continued to lead the insurgency against the US forces and the government in Baghdad. He formed the Ba'athist Sufi Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order which later on allied itself with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
He was described as "the hidden Sheikh of the Naqshbandi men." He appeared in several video messages in 2010, 2012 and 2013 encouraging the insurgents in Al-Anbar province. (pickup previous) mhg.gb