No end to fight in sight

Bush was told early morning yesterday at the White House that US troops had captured Saddam near his home town of Tikrit. Aides said he might offer public comments later in the day.

"The message to the Iraqi people is that the blanket of fear is beginning to lift," a senior White House official said.

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But the official added: "There are unfortunately still people in Iraq who have no future because their loyalties are to Saddam. We expect they will continue to fight to the death."

More than 300 US soldiers have been killed in action since US-led forces invaded Iraq in March to oust Saddam -- nearly 200 of them in guerrilla attacks since Bush declared major combat over on May 1.

The top US general also said from Baghdad the capture will not end attacks against US-led forces in Iraq.

"We do not expect at this point in time that we will have a complete elimination of those attacks," Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez told a news conference in Baghdad.

Asked if he expected attacks to avenge Saddam's arrest, Sanchez said: "Do I expect an increase in retaliation? I don't know, but we're prepared."

Capturing Saddam represents a major victory for the president, who is seeking reelection next year. The invasion of Iraq failed to produce weapons of mass destruction, Bush's main justification for going to war, and triggered a bloody guerrilla insurgency.

Violence against US forces, in fact, surged in the months after the ousted Iraqi dictator's sons, Uday and Qusay, were killed in a gunbattle with American troops in July.

US officials have also said al-Qaeda has been active against US soldiers in Iraq. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden remains at large and is believed to be plotting new attacks.