Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri (; 1 July 1942 – 25 October 2020) was an Iraqi politician, military officer and field marshal. He served as Vice Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council until the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States and was regarded as the closest advisor and deputy under President Saddam Hussein. He led the Iraqi militant group Naqshbandi Army.
Al-Douri was the most high-profile Ba'athist official to successfully evade capture after the invasion of Iraq, and was the "king of clubs" in the infamous U.S. deck of most-wanted Iraqi playing cards. Al-Douri continued to lead elements of the Iraqi resistance such as the Naqshbandi Army against the then-occupation forces and waged an insurgency against the current regime in Baghdad. Following the execution of Saddam Hussein on 30 December 2006, al-Douri was confirmed as the new leader of the banned Iraqi Ba'ath Party on 3 January 2007."Saddam aide is new Ba'ath leader" , BBC News, 3 January 2007.
In April 2015, the Shiite militant organization Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq claimed they had killed al-Douri and his nine bodyguards during a military operation near the Al-Alaas oil fields in Hemreen east of Tikrit. The group further alleged that his body had been transported to Baghdad to confirm its identity on 17 April 2015. Though the story was carried by the BBC, they also noted that the Iraqi Ba'ath party denied that al-Douri had died, while a Kurdish news source reported that Iraq did not have al-Douri's DNA to confirm his death. Al-Douri subsequently appeared in videos talking about events that took place after his supposed death. On 26 October 2020, news of his death was again carried by both local and international media, this time based on an announcement made a day earlier by the Iraqi Ba'ath Party, and a statement by Raghad Hussein, the daughter of Saddam Hussein.
Biography Early life Born in 1942, al-Douri was born in Ad-Dawr, near the Iraqi town of Tikrit, to Ibrahim Khalil al-Douri, a farmer, and Hamdah Salim al-Douri. His family belonged to the Sunni Muslim Al-Shuwaikhat clan of the Jabour tribe. Nicknamed "the Iceman" for his humble origins selling blocks of ice, he became involved in revolutionary politics in his late teenage years, despite having had only a primary school education. He befriended Saddam Hussein in 1963, then they both served in the early intelligence apparatus of the Ba'ath Party and participated in what would be known as the 17 July Revolution in 1968.
During the Ba'athist government Al-Douri was a senior member of the Ba'athist government under Saddam Hussein. This was due to the fact that both al-Douri and Saddam came from the same Tikriti tribal background. When the Ba'athists seized power in 1968, he was made interior minister where he oversaw efforts to sideline political rivals to the Ba'ath Party, mainly the Iraqi Communist Party. Al-Douri became the vice chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council prior to 2003, giving him unprecedented amounts of power and influence within the Iraqi political sphere.
As vice chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, al-Douri was involved in the wars against Iran and Kuwait. During the 1988–1989 Al-Anfal Campaign, al-Douri was said to have ordered Ali Hassan al-Majid (aka 'Chemical Ali') to use Mustard and Sarin nerve gas on Kurdish fighters in Halabja. He was complicit in the invasion of Saudi Arabia and the attack on the town of Khafji in January 1991. Amid the critical Iraq-Kuwait summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, convened on 31 July and 1 August 1990, to address the ongoing crisis, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri arrived alongside Ali Hassan al-Majid. It was subsequently reported by some sources that the proceedings escalated into severe confrontations and the throwing of objects.
During the 1991 uprisings in Iraq, he was involved in the suppression of the revolt led by the Iraqi Marsh Arabs. When the Kurds rebelled again in 1991, al-Douri warned them "If you have forgotten Halabja, I would like to remind you that we are ready to repeat the operation."
In 1993, al-Douri was involved in the state-sponsored Return to Faith Campaign (al-Hamlah al-Imaniyyah), which sought to encourage devotion to Islam in Iraqi social life. This saw aspects of Islam fused into the Iraqi media, education system and judicial system.
In October 1998, al-Douri escaped an assassination attempt when visiting Karbala.
Following the October 2000 events, Arab leaders including al-Douri gathered in Cairo condemning Israel's reaction to the protests. In response to the Palestinian protests, Al-Douri was said to have remarked "The Jews will be taught a lesson."
On 5 March 2003, during an emergency summit of the then Organisation of the Islamic Conference, al-Douri made a heated address where he accused the neighbouring Gulf states of being "traitors" for cooperating with the United States and Israel. He blamed Kuwait for being responsible for Iraq's suffering and scrutinised the United States of America's aggressive stance towards Iraq. These comments sparked the Kuwaiti representative to stand up and protest to which al-Douri responded "Shut up, sit down you small American agent, you monkey!"
Al-Douri, a member of the Naqshbandi Order, was able to use his position in the regime to leverage support to the Naqshbandi community within Iraq. This form of patronage would eventfully culminate in the rise of the Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order during the Iraqi insurgency, of which al-Douri would play a leading role.
Personal life Al-Douri married for the first time in 1968; however, he married five times in total and had 24 children: 13 daughters and 11 sons. In a sign of loyalty, al-Douri consented to marry his daughter Hawazin to Saddam's eldest son, Uday. Al-Douri's influence with Saddam was so substantial that he could even levy a condition, that the union would not be consummated, and later made a successful petition that his daughter be permitted to divorce Uday.
Al-Douri is believed to have suffered from leukemia and was said to have undergone blood transfusions every six months. In 1999, he visited Vienna, Austria for treatment. A Vienna city Councillor submitted an request for the arrest and investigation on al-Douri for war crimes, but the government allowed him to leave the country. His son was reportedly killed in Tikrit in July 2014.
Fall of the Ba'ath regime and Iraqi insurgency The 2003 US invasion of Iraq On 20 March 2003, U.S.-led coalition forces invaded Iraq, leading to the toppling of the regime of President Saddam Hussein on 9 April 2003. Following the fall of Baghdad, al-Douri went into hiding. U.S. officials claimed that he was involved in the subsequent Iraqi insurgency against U.S. forces, directing and funding attacks, as well as brokering an alliance between Ba'athist insurgents and militant Islamists.
In November 2003, the U.S.-led coalition issued a US$10 million bounty for any information leading to al-Douri's apprehension by authorities in response to coordinating attacks against Coalition forces. One of al-Douri's wives and a daughter were captured in the same month, to be questioned about his whereabouts.
Al-Douri was made the King of Clubs in the famous most-wanted Iraqi playing cards, making him among the top 8 "most wanted" figures in Saddam Hussein's regime.
At the time of the invasion of Iraq, al-Douri, along with Saddam and Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, were among the three surviving plotters who had brought the Ba'ath Party to power in a coup in 1968.
The Iraqi insurgency and disappearance In an interview in May 2008, al-Douri detailed his strategy, indicating that "any negotiations with the invaders without it represents a desertion and treason, and is refused by all national, Pan-Arab and Islamic factions of the resistance." During the interview, al-Douri made the following demands:
An official pronounced recognition of the armed and unarmed national resistance, including all its factions and (political) parties, as the sole legitimate representative of the people of Iraq An official declaration of unconditional withdrawal from Iraq by the U.S. leadership Declaring null and void all the political and legislative institutions, as well as all the laws and legislation issued by them, since the occupation, with the de-Ba'athfication law in the forefront, and compensating all who were adversely affected by them A stop to raids, prosecutions, arrests, killings and displacement Release of all prisoners of war (POWs), prisoners and detainees without exception and compensating all for their physical and psychological damage Reinstating the army and the national security forces in service in accordance with their preoccupation laws and regulations, and compensating all who were adversely affected by dissolving them A pledge to compensate Iraq for all the material and moral losses it incurred because of the occupation
Al-Douri was reportedly the head of the Iraqi resistance group Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order as well as the Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation based on his longstanding positions of leadership in the Naqshbandi sect in Iraq.
Whereabouts
Sometime after the Fall of Baghdad, al-Douri evaded capture and went into hiding.Iraqis arrest former top aide in Saddam's regime . McClatchy There are many different reports on his whereabouts. Several sources close to al-Douri's family reported to Al Jazeera that they had not heard of al-Douri since April 2003 and did not know where he was hiding.Is it a coincidence? . Al Jazeera
According to veteran intelligence consultant Malcolm Nance and a U.S. telegram cable, al-Douri and the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council were rumoured to have developed deep relations with Hafez al-Assad and the Syrian Ba'ath party, despite historical differences between the two Ba'ath factions. Al-Douri urged Saddam to open oil pipelines with Syria, building a financial relationship with the Assad family.REVENGING AFLAQ (I): FORMER IRAQI BAATHISTS IN SYRIA -- WHO ARE THESE GUYS? . WikiLeaks Nance would also allege that al-Douri fled to Syria after the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, where he organised the National Command of the Islamic Resistance which co-ordinated major combat operations during the Iraqi insurgency.
The RAND Corporation reported prior to the capture of Saddam Hussein, al-Douri served as "Saddam's point of contact in Diyala Governorate" and that he had visited Diyala twice to meet with leaders to organize the insurgency inside Iraq.Occupying Iraq: A History of the Coalition Provisional Authority pg. 95. RAND Corporation
There were reports from al-Hayat that al-Douri was allegedly in Mosul visiting his wife, before fleeing to an undisclosed location.Saddam's former deputy Izzat Ibrahim a father at 61 . EKurd DailyAl Duri Leads Baath Birth Of His . Informed Comment NBC News reported that al-Douri was rumoured to be hiding in Syria or elsewhere.US continues hunt for Saddam's ex-No. 2 . NBC News