Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the last senior member of Saddam Hussein’s regime still at large, died today, according to a statement released by the ousted Baath Party. If confirmed, his death could represent a big blow to the insurgency.

Al-Douri was sixth on the list of America’s most wanted Iraqis with a $10 million reward for his capture. He was the Ace of Clubs on the US military's deck of most-wanted Iraqis.

After more than two and half years on the run, during which he is believed to have helped organise the insurgency against US forces, the veteran Baathist leader succumbed to a long battle against leukaemia.

"The leader of the resistance died on Friday November 11 at 2:20 am," said a statement signed by the Baath command and released to a Western news agency in Baghdad.

The red-haired veteran Baathist, with a well-earned reputation for brutality, was credited with helping finance and arm the resistance against American troops, which has since blossomed into a full-scale insurgency.

He is also accused of masterminding the unholy alliance between remnants of the Baathist military and security forces with militant Islamic fighters loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and the man responsible for the bloodiest attacks of the conflict.

The 63-year-old former vice president of the ruling Revolutionary Command Council was Saddam’s de facto number two and one of his most loyal and ruthless lieutenants.

Al-Douri was born in Tikrit, Saddam’s hometown, the son of an ice seller and the two grew up together eventually leading the coup that brought the Baath Party to power in 1968.

In the 1970s the red-haired loyalists held several ministerial posts but emerged as a real force in the government when he was appointed vice-chairmman of the RCC and deputy commander of the armed forces, effectively cementing his position as Iraq’s number two during years of bitter conflict and widespread abuses.

Al-Douri was personally implicated in the brutal Anfal campaign against the Kurds in the late 1980s. Thousands of Kurdish civilians were killed, including an estimated 5,000 in the town of Halabja which was attacked with chemical weapons. He also had direct involvement in the ruthless suppression of the Shia Muslim uprising in southern Iraq in 1991.

At the time he was quoted as warning the Kurds not to follow the same path as the Shias. "If you have forgotten Halabja, I would like to remind you that we are ready to repeat the operation," he said.

While accused of taking many lives, al-Douri was lucky to have survived this long. Several years ago he was diagnosed with leukaemia but recovered after treatment abroad. In 1998 he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in the Shia Muslim holy city of Najaf.

The disease left his skin ghostly white, but he returned to work and was put in charge of key foreign and domestic policies. It was al-Douri who was sent to the Arab League summit in Beirut in 2002 to make peace with Iraq’s old enemy Kuwait and rally Arab support ahead of the looming war.

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