as early as i could tell it was probably august or september of 2003, when izzat ibrahim al-douri's networkprovide bombs that the al qaeda network would provide the suicide bombers to and they would have attacks into baghdad. he has been key in the resistance since 2003. woodruff: if it is is confirmed that he is dead, what does that mean for islamic state group and what they're trying to do? >> most recently in the last few months it looks like the izzat ibrahim al-douri groups began to fall away from islamic state group, he made some public statements a couple of weeks ago, criticizing the islamic state, and we saw them fall poorlt from each other and that was because they didn't have the same strategic objectives. woodruff: if it's confirmed that he is dead what does it mean for the u.s. for efforts to stabilize iraq? >> i think this is going to cause a void in the resistance of the sunni arab insurgency for a while. to take the leadership mantle of the sunni resistance. he was the glue he understood the key players throughout these resistance groups. and because of that i think lack of

izzat ibrahim al douri was killed in an operation near tikrit. nt to this conversation, you were once a liaison officer in baghdad. let's discuss al douri and what kind of blow this could be for terrorist organizations like isis because there's a lot of talk about the role post-saddam that al douri played in establishing insurgency like isis and al qaeda in iraq in that country. colonel, what do you think? >> al douri has a long history. he was instrumental in the creation of the iraqi government and iraqi military and involved in the decision to go after the kurds in their own country. he's also been a very spiritual figure for saddam. he convinced saddam to wrap the war in desert storm around islam. he's an influential figure. after the american invasion in 2003, he became part of the insurgency and was an adviser to isis. his role was primarily that of recruiter and adviser. he'll be missed certainly. i don't think it's going to really temper what isis is doing. they have their own leadership. he's one of many. >> this guy was a serious player

>> and tonight officials are claiming the death of one ever america's most wanted man, izzat ibrahim al-douri claimed to be dead. >> jamie mcintire with more. >> this is not the first time officials claimed to have killed izzat ibrahim al-douri, among other thing noted for sporting a head of red hair. others looked like al-douri, they showed a corpse, they need an autopsy to make sure the body is really his. the governor of salaha province says it is. al-douri was once saddam hussein's right hand man still unaccounted for and was the king of clubs in the famous deck of cards the u.s. military gave to troops in 2003 so they could recognize iraq's 52 most wanted. most recently al-douri was leaving a sunni group -- leading a sunni group that group was said to have aligned with i.s.i.l. last year when it took over mosul. when al-douri's demise might have been shocking, there was no prepared statement. >> if it's true, i think it would probably be a victory for the iraqi security forces certainly but i just don't know yet. we're looking into it. >> reporter: almost all the 52 original deck of card

point that while they think it's him, they think it's al douri they can't be 100% sure until they've done dna tests to identify him as izzat ibrahim al douri. >> a lot of these former saddam loyalists, they've joined forces with isis right? >> well you know, yes, and no. this is -- all kinds of shifting alliances. when isis first marched across northern iraq reports that al douri's group in particular had really at least tacitly, if not actively allowed isis to come through. there are reports of al douri's group fighting alongside isis but in recent months we heard reports of that relationship fraying. that might be because they have completely different objectives. isis wants to establish the islamic caliphate, al douri's group wanted to re-establish the sunni/baathist regime that iraq had under saddam hussein. so completely different goals and aims and quite possibly after isis was able to take over so much territory, that's when we started to see any sort of whatever that alliance was, really start to show some strain. >> all right. atika, good explanation, thanks very much. atika shubert reporting. >> we will dig deeper in bot

outlawed baath party has denied reports that a high rarnging member have been killed, izzat ibrahim al-douri, on friday afternoon an iraq governor told us al-douri had been killed. al-douri was representas the king of clubs in the infamous pack of cards that the u.s. issued of members of saddam hussein's regime. >>> south africa's prime minister is calling for the end to xenophobic attacks in that country. charles stratford reports. >> this is a did zulu war chapter. these men want migrants out of south africa. they accuse migrants of stealing their jobs. >> translator: these people must go and commit crimes back where they come from, but they don't rob people where they come from. those in government worry about themselves and not us. we're not going to let this happen. >> reporter: fear is spreading in johannesburg. i'm in jeffersburg these men are locals, burning tires burnt out vehicle here as well, quite a heavy police presence. now, the men we have spoken to have vowed to kick the foreigners out of this area. earlier police used rubber coated steel bughts to bullets to keep the locals

his name is izzadi ibrahim al douri. he's known as the king of clubs. piction -- remember this deck of playing cards? used to identify key figures in saddam hussein's regime. al douri was considered one of the worst. after the regime toppled, al douri went into hiding. today it seems he was found and killed by iraqi security forces. we've got our senior international correspondent who covered what happened there in iraq for years and years. also joining me cnn military analyst, retired u.s. army and former aide to general david pe tray use. ben, first to you. before i even get into the news about this saddam hussein's former aid, the death, let me ask you about that suicide bomb attack. what is isis saying and are all u.s. staff safe and accounted for, do you know? >> yeah, isis has claimed responsibility brooke for this explosion. actually two explosions that took place at 5:50 local time in erbil in the kurdish portart of northern iraq. first there was an ied that went off just up the street from the u.s. consulate. moments later, a car sped in the dir

izzat ibrahim al-douri was once a top deputy to saddam hussein. he's been on the run since 2003 and recently suspected to be allied with i.s.i.l. al-douri was killed in fighting near tikrit. jeavmentjamie mcintire has more from washington. >> reporter: antonioantonio iraqis have killed al-douri, his distinctive red hair, al-douri was killed in a fight between iraqi forces and i.s.i.l. fighters. once hussein's right and man one of the highest ranking men still unaccounted for the king of clubs, in the deck of cards the military gave to their troops so they could recognize the 52 most wanted. suspected of leading a sunni insurgent group. a lead of an old baathist group. when it took over mosul. when once al-douri's demise would take much flow, it is of little interest and no longer tracking if he was still at large and state department has no confirmation and no prepared statement. >> if it's true, it would be great for iraqi security force he but i just don't know yet. we're looking into it. >> almost all the original 52 cars in the deck have been c

. >> iraq's baath party is denying one of its high ranking officials have been killed, izzat ibrahim al-douri, on friday afternoon an iraqi governor told reporters al-douri had been killed. al-douri was representas the king of clubs in the infamous pack of cards the u.s. issued on members of iraq's saddam hussein regime. >>> violence started in the coastal city of durbin has spread to johannesburg. that's where charles stratford sent this report. >> reporter: this is a zulu war chant. these men want african migrants out of south africa. they accuse migrants of stealing their jobs. >> translator: these people must go and commit crimes back where they come from but they don't rob people where they come from. what does that mean? is that right for the government? those in government are just worried about themselves not us. we're not going to let this happen. >> reporter: fear is spreading in johannesburg. i'm in jennifers jeffers town. these men are locals. they have been burning tires a burned out vehicle here as well. quite a heavy police presence. the men we talked to have vowed to kick the

izzat ibrahim al douri was saddam hussein's number two, the king of clubs in the u.s.

izzat ibrahim al douri was saddam hussein's number two, the king of clubs in the u.s. military's deck

izzat ibrahim al douri was saddam hussein's number two, the king of clubs in the u.s. military's deck of iraqi fugitives. after the u.s. invasion toppled saddam, he became the leaderave sunni insurgency that bedeviled american troops and presidents for a dozen years. david martin at the pentagon has more about him. >> reporter: al douri was the biggest one that got away, the only one of saddam's henchmen who elude american troops during the eight-and-a-half-year occupation of iraq. now iraqi officials say their group killed a man with his distinctive red hair and mustache. an operation east of saddam's home town of tikrit, which was retaken from isis earlier this month. it is not the first time he has been reported killed or captured and d.n.a. tests have not been completed. on paper, he was the vice commander of saddam's revolutionary command council. more importantly, he was his confidant, and as such, bears responsibility for some of the regime's worst atrocities including the infamous gassing of an entire village of kurdish peasants. he melted away after the fall o

will turn over the body of izzat ibrahim al-douri tomorrow. the u.s. government once considering al-douri the most dangerous and wanted iraqis. still close to saddam hussein at large. >>> a police stake in helman province lowlg allowing those gunmen to storm in. >>> i.s.i.l. releasing a video showing what appears to be the execution of ethiopian christians. ethiopian officials are working to confirm the identity of those individuals. the logo can be seen on the screen. fighting tonight continues in yemen where soldiers loyal to the president are gaining ground against houthi rebels. those forces are backed by saudi led air strikes. now with civilians caught in the middle the u.n. is warning more aid is needed. osama ben javid reports. >> regaining the complex from the houthi fighters in aden. abd rabbu mansour hadi led here lived here before fleeing. can't be used by the houthis are faction he of the militarys loyal to the former president ali abdullah saleh. >> they cannot contact each other against different areas because we have targeted they're comm

. >>> now he may be dead, iraqi officials are trying to determine where izzat ibrahim al-douri was killed, in tikrit. suspected of being an ally of i.s.i.l. jamie mcintire is in washington. what did al-douri as a role in the regime? >> he was considered i.s.i.l.'s number 2 man. he was also notably the king of clubs in the famous card -- deck of playing cards that the u.s. military distributed to members of the military so they could keep an eye out for iraq's 52 most wanted. so he was right up there right inside saddam hussein's inner circle the highest ranking member of the inner circle that hadn't been accounted for sins the invasion in 2003. -- since the invasion of 2003. he was september of running a baathist group group made up of former baathist and some of the elite troops so he was considered a big deal at the time but interestingly the u.s. military had pretty much given up worrying about him. when i can'ted the u.s. central command to ask them where he stood on the list of suspects they told me they weren't even tracking that anymore. and they had no idea how many of the 52 in t

. >> well, izzat ibrahim al-douri was part of saddam hussein's regime that was still unaccounted for. this is not the first time that it was reported that he was killed. photos appear to be him. it looks like douri. but dna tests will be conducted in order to confirm his identity. back in the day he was saddam hussein's right hand man. more recently he was believed to be leading a baathist group that was consisted of former intelligence officers and elite droops from saddam hussein's regime. it's a group believed to have aligned itself with isil last year when isil took over mosul. you know, there was a time when izzat birahim's demise would have been big news. the u.n. central command that had been tracking back in the day, tracking the where about it's of all the these saddam hussein loyalists don't attract that any more. at the state department there was no prepared statement. >> if it's true, i think it would probably an victory for the iraqi security forces, certainly, but i don't know yet. we're looking into it. >> yes they're still looking into it. but now if you go back to an

reporter: today the iraqi government announced its forces killed former baathist leader ezzat ibrahim al douri here in a military parade in 2003. the deputy of saddam hussein later linked to isis. al douri was the king of clubs in the deck of cards of the u.s. most wanted members of the iraqi regime before the fall of saddam hussein. just in the last two days, the u.s.-led coalition launched fire air strikes and only two near ramadi. blasting general dempsey for disregarding ramadi's strategic importance calling it an insult to those killed in iraq battles al qaeda there and a gross mischaracterization of the situation on the ground down. general dempsey, senator mccain said, is in denial. >>> iran is marking its national army day by flexing its military might for the world to see. kicking off feastiveties. showcases military ware made in iran including anti-aircraft n guns and a wheeled tanks. >>> and xenophobia continues to grip the country. some south africans accuse african immigrants of taking their jobs and committing crimes and now six people are dead because of that violence. we were o

>> well this is ibrahim al douri, old right-hand man of saddam hussein. according to iraqi officials, there was an operation that appears to include both iraqi military and these paramilitary shiite forces. they somehow hit a convoy in which al douri was traveling. it's not confirmed at this point if this is indeed him. in the past, we've gotten reports that he's been killed and he's reappeared. so his dna is going to be sent to baghdad to be checked. now, this was a man who has evaded first the u.s. and then iraqi forces from 2003 until today, perhaps. and he had very close ties with isis although he was the head of his own military organization that functioned in that area. he's a man who does have ties with isis has cooperated and worked with them but we understand from on nervousers and analysts that ties between his group and isis have been becoming a little less smooth in recent months. >> had been fraying. that's what i heard. as we await the dna test results, colonel, many of the isf defectors who went on to join isis, you know in the very beginni