Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's deputy, Izzat Ibrahim, has died, Al Arabiya satellite television quoted a Baath party statement as saying on Friday. Ibrahim was the most senior member of the former regime still at large and had been a top insurgent leader.
He is number six on the US military's list of the 55 most-wanted Iraqis, with a $10 million reward offered for his capture.
An Al Arabiya correspondent in Baghdad said the Baath party had sent a statement to a number of Arab and Western media by e-mail.
Senior Iraqi government officials were so far unaware of the statement, but said they were checking.
The Al Arabiya correspondent quoted the Baath party statement as saying, Ibrahim died at 2:00 am on Friday. The correspondent said the statement did not indicate that he had died in a military clash or had been killed.
"It can be said he died of natural causes," Arabiya's correspondent said, adding that Ibrahim probably died in Iraq.
There was no confirmation from other sources and one Web site, which publishes regular news releases from Baath party supporters, made no mention of the death.
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