American forces in Iraq continue to close in on Saddam Hussein, conducted several top secret operations since killing his sons Uday and Qusay two weeks ago, the US military said today.

A shoot-out between American forces and Syrian border guards left a scene of destruction, with burned out vehicles and wounded men, US officials said today.

US TROOPS shot Syrian border guards when they launched an attack on a fleeing Iraqi convoy they believed may have contained senior members of Saddam Hussein’s regime, it was revealed yesterday.

US intelligence analysts now believe Saddam Hussein is much more likely to be alive than dead, it was reported today.