One of the most prominent men of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Izzat al-Douri, died today, Monday, at the age of 78, according to an Al-Arabiya correspondent.
The second man in the Baath Party that ruled Iraq for years with an iron fist was born on July 1st, 1942. He married five women and has 11 sons and 13 daughters.
Al-Douri was the vice president of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein from his accession to power in 1979 until his fall in 2003.
Moreover, he held the position of Vice President of the Revolutionary Command Council during the rule of Saddam Hussein and was assigned the rank of Attorney General to Commander of the Armed Forces after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
His appearance was often associated with Saddam, accompanying him like his shadow from July 17, 1968, until his arrest.
Al-Douri held the position of Minister of Interior and Minister of Agriculture during the Baath era, but he disappeared from sight after the fall of Saddam’s rule in 2003, despite the fact that the Baath Party announced at the time that it had assumed the position of Secretary-General of the party to succeed Saddam after his execution in 2006
It is noteworthy that during the past years, little was known about his whereabouts, and several audio and video recordings were attributed to him in different periods.
Also, rumors spread more than 5 years ago about his death in clashes near the city of Tikrit, north of Baghdad.
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