Iraq's toppled president Saddam Hussein has fired all of his foreign lawyers, except one Iraqi lawyer, the special tribunal trying him said on Tuesday.

"Saddam confirmed that he has dismissed all lawyers and the onlylawyer being kept is Khalil Dulaimi", after the investigative judgequestioned him about it, the special tribunal said in a statement.

Saddam's family members said on Aug. 8 that it had fired all of his foreign defence team.

Saddam was captured by US troops in December 2004 during the US-led war on Iraq. He is now in US custody near Baghdad awaiting trials by the special tribunal.