US general behind Iraq War ‘surge’ dies at age 67

President Joe Biden called Mr Odierno a ‘hero of great integrity and honor’

Obit Army General (AP2007)

Raymond T Odierno, a retired US army general who commanded in Iraq and served as the army’s chief of staff, has died aged 67.

His family released a statement on Saturday saying: “The general died after a brave battle with cancer; his death was not related to Covid.” The statement continued: “There are no other details to share at this time. His family is grateful for the concern and asks for privacy.”

The general died on Friday but the family did not say where. Funeral and interment information have not yet been released.

President Joe Biden called Mr Odierno a “hero of great integrity and honor”. In a joint statement, the president and first lady Jill Biden remembered that Mr Odierno spoke at the funeral of their son Beau, who served under him in Iraq and died of brain cancer in 2015, reports the Associated Press.

“Ray was a giant in military circles – dedicated first and always to the service members he commanded and served alongside,” said the Bidens, adding: “We stand with the Odierno family and all our brave service members who were shaped and molded by General Odierno over his lifetime of service.”

Mr Odierno served in multiple army and Defence Department roles over the course of his career, with tours in Iraq, Germany, Albania and Kuwait.

As a three-star general he was assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the main military adviser to the secretary of state.

In 2003, soldiers under his command captured Iraq’s deposed president, Saddam Hussein and Mr Odierno famously commented: “He was just caught like a rat. When you’re in the bottom of a hole, you can’t fight back.”

Mr Odierno also oversaw the controversial 2007 “surge” in the Iraq War, when tens of thousands of additional troops were deployed to quelling violence in Iraq.

He served three tours in Iraq, and from 2008 to 2010 was the top US commander in Baghdad. Mr Odierno retired in 2015.