Soldiers search town of Dour for Saddam Hussein's top deputy

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. and Iraqi troops shut down the town of Dour near Tikrit on Monday in a search for Saddam Hussein's top deputy, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, whose death has been announced and contested on various Baath party Web sites.
Al-Douri's hometown was cordoned off as troops arrested about 11 people and searched for information about the man who has a $10 million bounty on his head.
Near the Syrian border, the second phase of Operation Steel Curtain began with a dawn sweep through Ubaydi along the Euphrates River in al Qaim. The Iraqi army and U.S. Marine operation, an attempt to squeeze out Al-Qaida operatives in Iraq who are filtering through the Syrian border, began Nov. 5.
Al-Douri, the king of clubs in the notorious deck of most-wanted playing cards, was reported dead on an Arabic news channel Friday and later on a Baathist Web site. The report has since been disputed by family members and a second Baathist Web site.
U.S. officials think that al-Douri has funded and directed attacks on American forces. He's thought to be a key player in the tactical alliance between Baathist insurgents and Al-Qaida terrorists.
At least 11 arrested
After sealing off the three main roads out of Dour, soldiers went house to house searching for people on a list of names they carried as helicopters hovered over their homes, residents said. By early evening they'd arrested at least 11 people, said Lt. Col. Akram al-Douri, who's no relation to Izzat Ibrahim.