The cousin of toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein known as "Chemical Ali" may still be alive, according to US defence officials.
US forces bombed the home of Ali Hassan al-Majid in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on April 5th, and British and US officials expressed confidence at the time that al-Majid - "Chemical Ali" - had been killed.
But US Central Command and officials at the Pentagon said his status now is considered uncertain. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he did not know whether al-Majid is dead or alive.
"Now there's some speculation that he may be alive," Mr Rumsfeld told reporters on Capitol Hill.
Al-Majid is listed as number five on Central Command's list of top-55 wanted Iraqis from Saddam's government.
He earned his moniker for ordering a chemical weapon attack against 5,000 Kurds in the Iraqi village of Halabja in 1988 to end decades of insurrection. At the time, Iraq was a US ally.
Al-Majid also played a leading role in Iraq's seven-month occupation of Kuwait from 1990-91.