American forces arrest Ezzat al-Douri, 70 men were killed trying to rescue him

The Iraqi ministry of defense announced detention of Ezzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the former Iraqi vice President.

A spokesman for the ministry said that al-Douri was arrested while taking medical treatment in a medical clinic in Tikrit during a joint operation for the American forces and members of the Iraqi national guards in Tikrit and al-Dour to the north of Iraq.

Iraqi minister of governorates affairs Wael Abdul Latif said that some 70 gunmen were killed among 150 who clashed with the American forces in their attempt to rescue al-Douri.

In his capacity as a deputy chairman of the Revolution leadership council, Ezzat al-Douri was the second ranking man in the former regime after President Saddam Hussein. Following the fall of Baghdad in April 2003, al-Douri disappeared completely and he was placed by the American forces in the 6th grade in the list of the 55 most wanted men of the main figures in the government of Saddam Hussein. Most of them were arrested or killed.

Ezzat Ibrahim ( 64 year old) suffers Leukemia. The American army dedicated a reward of USD 10 million to those who can give information leading to his arrest as the American forces considered that he is coordinating resistance operations.