BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition authorities have approved payment of $1 million to an Iraqi informant who gave them information leading to the arrest last month of a major figure in the anti-U.S. insurgency, a spokesman said Tuesday.
Khamis Sirhan al-Muhammad (search) was arrested Jan. 11, one day after coalition officials received a tip about his whereabouts, coalition spokesman Dan Senor told reporters.
"Today we can announce that less than a month following receipt of that tip, we've approved a payment of $1 million to the Iraqi informant," Senor said. He did not name the informant.
Al-Muhammad, a former Baath Party (search) official and militia commander, was No. 54 on the U.S. military's list of most wanted figures from Saddam Hussein's (search) regime.
However, U.S. military officials said al-Muhammad was a major figure in the insurgency in Anbar province, which includes the flashpoint cities of Fallujah and Ramadi.
Last year, U.S. officers in Anbar described al-Muhammad as the most wanted fugitive in the province.
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