BAGHDAD, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Iraq's last defense minister under Saddam Hussein, former Brig. Sultan Hashim Ahmed, has surrendered to U.S. forces in northern Iraq.
Sources told UPI Ahmed, No. 27 on the U.S. list of most wanted former regime officials, gave himself up in the northern city of Mosul Friday after weeks of mediation.
Dawood Bagistani, who arranged the surrender to U.S. Maj. Gen. David Petraeus, said Ahmed was handed over "with great respect" and was with his family at the time, the BBC reported.
Ahmed asked to have his name removed from the wanted list arguing that he was not involved in crimes against humanity
He assured the U.S. forces through the mediators he was not linked to the attacks targeting U.S. forces in the city of Mosul and elsewhere in Iraq.
According to Ahmed's brother Abdullah, the general went with his six sons and three brothers to Gen. Petraeus' house and the whole group had pictures taken with the U.S. officer.
Ahmed's surrender raised to 45 the number of wanted former Iraqi officials who were captured or who turned themselves in to the U.S. forces as a prelude to putting them on trial for war crimes and offenses against humanity.
Meanwhile, in the latest of a continuing series of attacks on U.S. forces, three soldiers were killed in an ambush near Saddam's home town of Tikrit.
Also two U.S. soldiers were injured in a separate attack on a convoy in the town of Khaldiyah, with unconfirmed reports speaking of a number of men killed.
