Wshington, Nov 11: Unable capture deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the United States` are now aiming to "get" his close aide Izzat Ibrahim. US Central Command Chief General John Abizaid believes Ibrahim was coordinating the current guerrilla war against the US forces in Iraq. "I think he is a very important cog in the machine, and I think it is important to get him, absolutely," Abizaid told the Washington Post. Ibrahim, who served as vice chairman of Hussein`s revolutionary command council and commanded military forces in northern Iraq, was one of only three people allowed to carry a weapon in Hussein`s presence, according to his US military biography.

Abizaid claimed he had evidence suggesting that some Baathists were beginning to coordinate attacks with Iraqi religious extremists and foreign fighters, particularly in the Fallujah area.

Voicing his disappointment over the progress of the war against the guerrillas, Abizaid, meeting with commanders over several days last week, challenged them to probe the nature of these linkages and to consider why the success of the us forces in May, June and July in rooting out Baathists and reducing the level of attacks has given way to an upsurge in violence. Bureau Report