Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri
Appeared in a 2015 ISIS video, the only Ba'athist leader to bridge Saddam Hussein's regime and the post-2014 jihadist insurgency.
1942–2020 (age 78)·6th Vice president of Iraq·Birthday: July 1·The Silent Generation
Biography
Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri surfaced in a 17-minute Islamic State video in 2015, urging Sunni tribes to unite under the ISIS banner. This broadcast confirmed his role as a symbolic linchpin between the deposed Ba'athist regime and the new jihadist caliphate. Al-Douri served as Vice Chairman of Iraq's Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until the 2003 U.S. invasion, making him Saddam Hussein's highest-ranking deputy. He commanded the northern army during the Iran-Iraq War and suppressed the 1991 Shi'a uprising. The U.S. military designated him the 'King of Clubs' in its Most-Wanted Iraqi playing cards, offering a $10 million bounty. Al-Douri evaded capture for 12 years by moving between safe houses in Tikrit, Mosul, and Syria, reportedly protected by tribal networks. He led the Naqshbandi Army, a Ba'athist insurgent group that conducted attacks on coalition forces and later coordinated tactically with ISIS. Iraqi forces announced his death in 2020 after an operation in Salahuddin province. His lasting impact was the fusion of Ba'athist military expertise with Salafi-jihadist fervor, prolonging Iraq's instability for a decade.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Izzat was born in 1942, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Izzat Was Born
The biggest hits of 1942
#1 Movie
Bambi
Best Picture
Mrs. Miniver
Izzat's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1942Born
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1947Started school
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1955Became a teenager
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1958Could drive
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1960Could vote
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Turned 21
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1972Turned 30
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1982Turned 40
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 50
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 60
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 70
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2020Died at 78
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- Organized the 1968 coup that brought the Ba'ath Party to power in Iraq.
- Commanded the 7th Corps during the Iran-Iraq War's major battles.
- Led the Naqshbandi Army insurgency from 2003 until his death in 2020.
Did You Know?
Al-Douri's daughter married Saddam Hussein's son Uday in 1995, a union that lasted less than a year.
He was a noted amateur poet, publishing several volumes of verse under a pseudonym.
Reportedly suffered from leukemia and required regular blood transfusions during his years in hiding.
“The army of the men of truth has started its march.”
