Al-Zarqawi tops U.S. list of most wanted
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-23 09:03

Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and a former senior aide to Saddam Hussein top a new U.S. list of most-wanted supporters of the Iraqi insurgency.

Militants loyal to Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi said an international counter-terrorism conference being held in Riyadh was a sign of 'defeat' suffered by the United States and its allies. [AFP/File]

The network of al-Zarqawi, who has affiliated himself with al-Qaida, is suspected of killing more than 500 Iraqis last year in attacks aimed at fomenting a civil war. The reward for information leading to his capture is $25 million.

Second on the list, if ranked by reward, is Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, who was vice chairman of Saddam's Revolutionary Command Council and the highest-ranking Saddam official still at large. He was the king of clubs in the deck of cards the U.S. military distributed in the first months after the U.S.-led invasion.

Now he "provides guidance, financial support and coordination of the former regime insurgency," the Central Command statement says. His financial support comes from funds from Saddam's regime, it says. The reward for al-Douri is $10 million.

U.S. officials often describe an array of insurgent groups facing them in Iraq that includes al-Zarqawi as "former regime elements" — Saddam officials and Baath Party members fighting the Iraqi government and allied forces. But it is unclear to what degree these groups are working together.

Other people on the list include cell leaders, al-Zarqawi lieutenants and people suspected of financing the insurgency. They are believed to be either in Iraq or neighboring countries, the Central Command said.

Four, including a half brother of Saddam, are supporting the insurgency from Syria, according to Central Command, and another is a chief go-between for Syrian-based insurgent leaders and those in Iraq. U.S. officials frequently criticize Syria for not doing more to stop the flow of money and fighters across the Syrian-Iraqi border, though some have said recently that Syria has improved its efforts.

Several, including al-Zarqawi, are also said to have fled Fallujah, the insurgent stronghold that U.S. and Iraqi forces assaulted in November.

Though al-Douri is on the list, a few other top Saddam officials believed at large are not. One is Hani Abd al-Latif Tilfah al-Tikriti, a senior chief of Saddam's internal security and intelligence apparatus. He has never been reported captured or killed, and U.S. officials have previously said they believed he was involved in the insurgency. His status is unclear.

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