A roadside bomb exploded near a military petrol tanker outside Baghdad today, wounding two US soldiers and, according to a witness, killing two Iraqi civilians.

Saddam Hussein is being compliant but unhelpful to his American interrogators who have made little progress in gaining information as to whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or ties to al-Qaida terror, officials said today.

Saddam Hussein may not be talking freely to his American interrogators, but he has already provided information that led to the arrest of several top regime figures in Baghdad, a US general said today.

Saddam Hussein’s capture is already reaping dividends for the occupation forces, providing intelligence that led to the capture of several top regime figures, and uncovered rebel cells in the Baghdad, a US general said today.

President George Bush flew home today after surprising US troops in Iraq with a secret Thanksgiving Day visit to thank them for ”defending the American people from danger”.

US President George W Bush made a surprise visit to American troops in Baghdad last night, flying secretly to violence-scarred Iraq to thank American forces for serving there.

IRAQI rebels combined hi-tech with low-tech yesterday when using donkey carts as launchers in a missile attack on the oil ministry and two Baghdad hotels.

AMERICAN forces have taken into custody Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti, Saddam's presidential secretary and number four on the US most-wanted list of Iraqi leaders, a US official said yesterday.

US soldiers backed by helicopters and tanks raided homes, rounded up suspects and confiscated weapons in the town of Fallujah today – part of a nationwide campaign to root out suspected militia leaders.