DHAKA: A prominent former aide to late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Izzat al-Douri, has been killed in a wide-scale military operation.

Al-Douri - believed to be mastermind of the insurgency against the current government - was an influential leader and is said to have played a role in helping the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) expand in the country, reports the Al Jazeera.

The governor of Salahaddin Province has confirmed Douri’s death, saying the former general was killed in fighting that broke out between Iraqi security forces and ISIL fighters east of Tikrit.

BDST: 2106 HRS, APR 17, 2015
BD