One of Saddam Hussein's closest aides, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, has died, Iraq's former ruling Baath party says. "The leader of the resistance... died on November 11, at 0220 [Thursday 2320 GMT]," BBC quoted a statement of the party as saying. There are no other details. Relatives - as well as Iraqi and US officials - could not confirm Douri's death. Douri, 63, was the most senior figure in the former regime still at large. The US had offered a $10m reward for information leading to his capture. Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri is number six on the US list of 55 most-wanted members of Saddam Hussein's regime. The top five have all been captured. It is not clear what was the real cause of Douri's reported death . He was diagnosed with leukaemia several years ago - but his subsequent recovery enabled him to pursue a challenging domestic and foreign work schedule. He often represented Iraq at foreign gatherings - most markedly in the run-up to the US-led invasion of April 2003. There have been persistent reports that he was unwell ever since he went into hiding following the invasion. Born in Tikrit, the former Iraqi leader's home town, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri was considered to have been Saddam Hussein's daily right-hand man. Douri was deputy commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and held a senior post on the committee responsible for northern Iraq. He also served as vice-chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council.
