The World : Iraqi Defense Chief Killed

Iraqi Gen. Adnan Khairallah, defense minister for 10 years and President Saddam Hussein’s closest confidant, was buried in a state funeral after he was killed in a helicopter crash in northern Iraq. In a statement broadcast by the state radio and television, the Iraqi leader said the pilot of the helicopter flying the 50-year-old general to Baghdad on Friday lost control during a sandstorm. One person reportedly survived the crash. Khairallah, deputy commander in chief of the armed forces, had been considered the second-most powerful official in the tight-knit clan that rules the country. He was both a cousin and brother-in-law to Hussein.