US forces have detained a wife and daughter of Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, who is the most wanted man in Iraq after Saddam Hussein and has been accused of directly coordinating attacks on American soldiers.
Lieutenant Colonel William MacDonald, spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, said the two women, along with a son of Ibrahim's doctor, were caught during a raid in the town of Samarra on Tuesday morning.
MacDonald said there was no indication the former Iraqi general was in the area at the time. Last week, US forces put a bounty of $10 million on the head of Ibrahim as they stepped up the hunt for a man seen as one of Saddam's closest henchmen.
Ibrahim was one of Saddam's top lieutenants before the war and number six on the US military's 55-strong most-wanted list.
A reward of $25 million is still outstanding for information leading to the capture or death of Saddam.
"They are being detained and held for questioning," MacDonald said, referring to the three captured Iraqis.
MacDonald did not have any information about the age or name of the wife, or how many wives Ibrahim has.
US administration officials have accused Ibrahim of being behind several recent attacks on US forces. Two weeks ago, U.S. fighter jets dropped bombs on one of Ibrahim's houses near Tikrit, destroying it.