Saddam linked to al-Qaida

A CLOSE confidant of Saddam Hussein, whose daughter is the widow of one of the deposed dictator's sons, is believed to be working with an al-Qaida-linked terrorist group to co-ordinate attacks in Iraq.

Two captured members of Ansar al-Islam have identified Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri as a force behind some of the attacks, said a senior US defence official. Al-Douri is number six on the most-wanted list of 55 Iraqis and was vice-chairman of Saddam's Revolutionary Command Council.

He was one of Saddam's few long-time confidants and his daughter was married to Saddam's brutal son, Uday, who was killed in a raid in Mosul by US forces in July.