BBC: Saddam aide is new Baath leader

[Eugene]

Last Updated: Wednesday, 3 January 2007, 08:16 GMT

Saddam aide is new Baath leader
By Peter Greste
BBC News, Baghdad

Saddam Hussein's Baath Party has confirmed his successor following the deposed
leader's execution on Saturday.

The banned party's website said Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri - Saddam Hussein's deputy
for much of his rule - has assumed the leadership.


-snip-

He has been declared dead several times over the past few years. It remains unclear
whether he is still alive.

-snip-

Mr Douri was the King of Clubs in the US military's deck of cards of wanted figures
and he took over notional control of the party and its insurgency after Saddam
Hussein's capture in December 2003.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6226977.stm

[MADem]

1. Ole baldy with the goofy moustache got the gig, eh?

[maddezmom]

2. flashback CBS from 2004: Elusive Saddam Deputy Captured?

(CBS/AP) Iraqi authorities claimed on Sunday to have captured Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the most wanted member of Saddam Hussein's ousted dictatorship, but there was confusion over the report, as the Iraqi defense minister said word of his arrest was "baseless."

Certainty turned to confusion, CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen reports, noting that DNA tests are underway. One official admitted there was a 50-50 chance they have the right man.

There have been incorrect reports of al-Douri's arrest in the past as U.S. and Iraqi forces hunt for the man who was once one of Saddam's most senior deputies. Sunday's report centered on a raid near al-Douri's hometown of Adwar, north of Baghdad.

more:http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/06/iraq/main641329.shtml