BAGHDAD, May 5: The United States on Monday announced the capture of a top female biological weapons scientist working for the former Iraqi government.

Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash, dubbed “Mrs Anthrax”, ranks number 53 on the list of the 55 former Iraqi officials most wanted by the United States, where she is portrayed as the five of hearts.

“This (the capture) would be very important to the coalition in their ability to get additional information about the scope of the BW (biological warfare) programme,” a US official said.

Huda Ammash, the only woman on the US wanted list, is believed to have been a leader of Iraq’s biological warfare programme and appeared in a videotape of Saddam meeting top advisers aired shortly after the start of the invasion on March 20. —AFP