Top Saddam aide caught in Tikrit, says Iraq govt

The US military said Ibrahim was not in its custody, and it had no information on whether he was being held by Iraqis. Iraqi Minister of State Wael Abdul Al-Latif said it was ‘‘75 to 90 per cent certain’’ the man was Ibrahim. Seventy of the man’s supporters were killed and 80 were captured when they tried to prevent him being seized, said Latif.

He said Arabs from outside Iraq had been among the people protecting the man, who was suffering from leukaemia. ‘‘He’s in a very deteriorated state of health,’’ said Latif.

The US military says Ibrahim has been involved in organising and funding attacks on US forces since the toppling of Saddam in April last year.

Meanwhile, France said it was hopeful two French hostages — journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot — in Iraq would be freed, although its foreign minister returned empty-handed from a West Asian mission.

‘‘We believe both of them are in good health and that a favourable outcome is possible,’’ Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said after discussing the crisis with President Jacques Chirac. ‘‘Our priority remains to secure their release and safety,’’ he said. — (Reuters)