Senior Saddam aide Izzat Ibrahim dies

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 US State Department said it had no information on reports of Ibrahim's death.