Saddam Aide And 'IS Mastermind' Killed - Report

Saddam Hussein's former deputy Izzat al Douri, who later allied himself with Islamic State, is believed to have been killed by government forces, say Iraqi officials.

Al Douri, a leader of the Sunni insurgency, was a "mastermind" for the militant group and his apparent death will have an "impact" on them, according to one politician.

He had been a fugitive since the US-led invasion in 2003 to overthrow the Iraqi president and was ranked sixth on the military's list of the 55 most-wanted Iraqis.

He was known as the "king of clubs" in the deck of playing cards issued to help US troops identify key regime members, and had a ginger moustache that made him distinctive among the inner circle.

A $10m reward was offered for the capture of al Douri who led a Baathist insurgency against Baghdad's Shia-led government before apparently joining forces with IS.

Salahuddin provincial governor Raed al Jabouri said he was killed by Iraqi soldiers and Shia militiamen in a government operation to the east of Saddam's hometown of Tikrit.

He said the operation was carried out in the Hamrin area near al Alam in Salahuddin province, but that Iraqi forces did not know al Douri was there beforehand.

He said "a group of security forces went and surrounded the area and those terrorists were killed. Three of them were suicide bombers and blew themselves up. Amongst the bodies was Douri's."

Referring to IS, which has seized control of larges areas of Iraq and neighbouring Syria, Mr al Jabouri said: "He is considered a mastermind for this terrorist group.

"For sure this will have an impact on them... There will be a break among them."

Senior Iraqi regional commander General Haider al Basri told Iraqi state TV that al Douri and nine bodyguards were killed by gunshots while riding in a convoy.

Gen al Basri did not elaborate why the Iraqi forces opened fire at the convoy.

Al-Arabiya television broadcast a photo of a dead man who resembled al Douri. DNA from the body will be tested and results will be released to confirm it is him "very soon", said Mr al Jabouri.

However, a Baath party spokesman told Al-Hadath TV that he was still alive, and Baghdad has announced his death several times before.

The former vice-president and deputy chairman of Iraq's Revolutionary Command Council was a senior official responsible for northern Iraq when poison gas was used on Halabja in 1988, killing about 5,000 Kurds.

Saddam Hussein was hanged in December 2006 after being captured near Tikrit.