Saddam's village surrounded

American soldiers sealed off the village where Saddam Hussein was born today and ordered adults to register for identity cards that will allow them to move in and out of the community.

The move came after the New York Times reported that senior US officials believe the former Iraqi leader, who has been on the run since US forces took over Baghdad in April, is playing a major role in co-ordinating and directing attacks against American troops.

“This is an effort to protect the majority of the population, the people who want to get on with their lives,” said Lieutenant Colonel Steve Russell.

He said he did not know whether Saddam was directing parts of the insurgency, but the village is the family home of many former Baathist regime members.

“There are ties leading to this village, to the funding and planning of attacks against US soldiers,” Russell said.

US officials said yesterday that a close Saddam confidant, whose daughter is the widow of one of the deposed dictator’s sons, is believed to be working with an al-Qaida-linked terrorist group to co-ordinate attacks in Iraq.

Starting around midnight, American soldiers, Iraqi police and civil defence forces moved into the small dusty village of Uja, nine miles south-east of Tikrit.

Soldiers stretched concertina wire around the perimeter of the village and established checkpoints.

Residents over the age of 18 will be required to have registration cards to move in and out of the village, US officers said.

The US-led coalition has been fighting a guerilla-style insurgency for months. So far, 117 soldiers have been killed by hostile fire since May 1, when President George Bush declared major combat was over.

A total of 114 soldiers were killed in the active combat phase which began on March 20.

In Washington, the House of Representatives approved a massive aid package requested by the Bush administration for £51bn (€74.25bn) for military personnel and operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Senate is expected to follow suit quickly.

But the administration has been less successful in persuading international organisations – including the United Nations and the international Red Cross - to remain in Iraq.

Meanwhile, the US installed Iraqi Governing Council said it was moving forward with setting up a war crimes tribunal to prosecute those accused of atrocities during Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Human rights groups estimate several hundred thousand people were killed during Saddam’s three decades in power.

Multiple mass graves have been found throughout the country since the dictator was deposed in April.