US soldiers from the 2-503rd Battalion, 173D Airborne Brigade talk near a Black Hawk helicopter minutes before starting a massive raid in Hawijah, 45 kilometres (nearly 30 miles) west of Iraq's northern oil center of Kirkuk. (AFP/Mauricio Lima)

US soldiers from 173D Airborne Brigade take position inside a truck during a massive raid in Hawijah.

US soldiers from the 173 Airborne Brigade patrol the streets during a massive raid, in Hawijah.

Two US soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the 173 Airborne Brigade take position next a group of Iraqi youths during a massive raid in Hawijah.

Cuffed : A US soldier from the 2D Battalion Airborne of 173D Airborne Brigade detains an Iraqi man during a massive raid in Hawijah.

The U.S. military denied reports that Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the most wanted man in Iraq after Saddam Hussein, had been captured in a raid on December 2, 2003. 'He was definitely not captured in today's mission,' Major Doug Vincent of the 173rd Airborne Brigade told reporters who accompanied troops on the raid in Hawija, near Kirkuk. Ibrahim is seen in Damascus in this March 6 file photo. Photo by Reuters