"The Republican Guard are receiving instructions, but in many cases not following them and not capable any more so they're not an effective fighting force," said Major General Stanley McChrystal, vice-director of joint operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

But it seems Saddam Hussein "still controls elements of the Special Republican guard and death squads" as command orders are still being issued by Iraqi leadership, McChrystal told a Pentagon press briefing.

McChrystal acknowledged that he was not sure whether the Iraqi leader was killed in the air strike. "I think the end game is the end of the regime and that's much closer than people thought it was," he said.

A US B-1 bomber dropped four specially designed 2,000-pound bombs on a building in a Baghdad residential neighborhood suspected to contain Iraqi leaders, including Saddam and his two sons.

Members of the B-1 crew told reporters Tuesday that they were patrolling the Iraqi capital when they were told about a high priority leadership target.

The bomber arrived at the target just 12 minutes later. The first two bombs struck the building, then the other two, equipped with a 25-millisecond delay fuse, penetrated further into the target.

(Xinhua News Agency April 9, 2003)