Ex-Iraqi PM dies in US custody

Former Iraqi PM, Muhammad Hamza al-Zubaydi, one of the top Saddam Hussein-era leaders captured in Iraq, died at a US military hospital in Baghdad, an American military spokesman said today.

He was 67. Al-Zubaydi, a Shi’te Muslim, died of heart failure on Friday and the US military is awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death, said Lt. Col. Barry Johnson.

Al-Zubaydi was a retired revolutionary command council member who led Saddam’s forces in central Iraq during the initial stages of the 2003 US-led invasion, was one of the 55 most wanted members of Saddam’s regime and was captured on April 20, 2003.

The military statement said the deceased’s remains will be transferred to the family upon completion of an autopsy.