BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi special forces were hunting in a western province for the most senior member of Saddam Hussein’s inner circle who has been on the run since the 2003 invasion, security sources said on Thursday.
Troops backed by helicopters were searching for Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, head of Saddam’s now-outlawed Baath party, in villages around the former ruler’s hometown of Tikrit, 150 km (95 miles) north of Baghdad.
Capturing the most prominent Baath leader would be a major victory for the Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki before provincial elections that will measure his political muscle for the 2014 parliamentary ballot.
Read the rest of the story at Reuters.com.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.