Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein has denied any involvement in funding and organising anti-coalition militants in Iraq since the fall of his regime, the daily New York Times reported on 16 December. Speaking to a team of US interrogators, who have been focussing their initial questions on insurgents operating in Iraq, Saddam said that he had had no direct role in the ongoing attacks. US officials in Iraq said that the former leader is not proving helpful and that they have been quick to discount much of he information that Saddam has offered. Interrogators are also trying to extract information that may lead to the arrest of Saddam's deputy, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri.