Qatar: Iraq's former Oil Minister, who knew the most intimate secrets of Saddam Hussein's missile systems, has surrendered to the US military.

Amer Mohammad Rashid turned himself in on April 28 and is in coalition custody, according to US Central Command.

Rashid, a former Iraqi Army general known as the "Missile Man", was Saddam's specialist on weapons delivery systems and eventually rose to the prestigious post of Oil Minister.

He was also a member of the regime's Military Industrialisation Organisation, the group responsible for producing all of Iraq's most lethal weapons.

He is number 47 on the coalition's list of the 55 most-wanted and is the six of spades in the deck of cards issued to coalition forces.

Rashid retired in January at 65, then was reappointed as acting Oil Minister on March 10. No reason was given for the move.

He is married to Dr Rihab Taha, a microbiologist known as "Dr Germ", who was in charge of the secret Iraqi facility that weaponised anthrax, botulinum toxin and aflotoxin.

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She is also sought by the United States, but there was no word on her whereabouts.

Capturing him or his wife would be a boon for US disarmament specialists, who are searching for any chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in Iraq.

Others members of the Military Industrialisation Organisation included lieutenant general Hossam Mohammad Amin, Iraq's chief liaison with UN weapons inspectors, and Amir al-Saadi, Saddam's senior weapons adviser, both of whom are also in custody.