Saddam deputy may be caught, says politician

By LUKE BAKER


BAGHDAD - Izzat Ibrahim, a top lieutenant to Saddam Hussein, may have been killed or captured in a US raid in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, a member of the Governing Council said yesterday.

News of the possible capture of one of the most wanted men in Iraq emerged while debate swirled among the Spanish and other US allies over whether the reconstruction effort in Iraq was worth the bloodshed.

"There was a major action against a highly suspicious objective last night in Kirkuk and it is very possible that Izzat Ibrahim has been captured or killed," Mowaffaq al-Rubaie told Reuters. He said he had been in contact with US forces.

There was no immediate comment from the US Army.

Ibrahim's capture would be one of the biggest turning points for the US-led coalition in Iraq since US troops killed Saddam's sons Uday and Qusay in a shootout in July in the northern city of Mosul.

The US military had said Ibrahim was directly involved in some attacks on US troops and put a $10 million price on his head. A reward of $25 million is still outstanding for information leading to the capture or death of Saddam.

State funerals for the seven Spanish agents killed in Iraq Saturday were due to be broadcast live on national television just hours before parliament was due to reopen the debate about the war in Iraq and how Spain ended up in the middle of it.

Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's decision to address a special session on Iraq drew criticism from opposition parties who said politics had no place on a national day of mourning.

Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio vowed world governments would stand firm against backers of Saddam she blamed for the attack.

Amid an outpouring of grief, criticism mounted over the government's decision to send 1,300 troops to keep the peace there.

The seven Spaniards, part of the US-led alliance occupying Iraq, died when their unmarked vehicles came under attack from gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades south of Baghdad.

Violence has intensified debate among Washington's allies on the risks of getting involved in the mission to stabilise and rebuild Iraq.

Weekend attacks also killed two South Korean contractors, two Japanese diplomats, their Iraqi driver, a Colombian contractor and two US soldiers. US troops said they killed 54 guerrillas in a battle Sunday to fend off ambushes on armored convoys carrying banknotes in the Iraqi town Samarra.

"No Spanish intervention in international military operations has been met with such widespread rejection," left-leaning El Pais newspaper said in an editorial.

A poll by the private Real Instituto Elcano think-tank a month ago said 85 per cent of Spaniards thought the Iraq war "was not worth it" but were evenly split on the presence of the 1,300 Spanish troops there.

Lieutenant-Colonel Jose Luis Gutierrez, head of Spain's military unit in Najaf, told El Pais that the killing of the seven agents had deprived Spanish soldiers of important intelligence to maintain their own security.

"Without them, we are blind," Gutierrez said.

The violence also underscored the growing audacity of guerrillas in Iraq -- and the tougher responses adopted by the US Army. Since President Bush declared major combat over on May 1, 188 US soldiers have been killed in action.

November was the deadliest month for American troops since the start of the war that ousted Saddam, with at least 74 killed in action. Occupying forces also suffered their deadliest single attack during the month, a car bombing in the southern town of Nassiriya that killed 19 Italians and nine Iraqis.


Herald Feature: Iraq