The operation against the Thar Thar palace was part of a number of special forces raids against targets of the Iraqi regime as regular troops closed in on Baghdad from the south, he said.

Brigadier General Vincent Brooks said the mission was a success and the commandos extracted safely after searching the complex and uncovering a "considerable amount of information" overnight Wednesday.

"It is a known residence that is used by Saddam Hussein and his sons ... The raid did not yield any regime officials but documents were seized," he told a briefing at US Central Command headquarters here.

"The regime moves from place to place, regime leaders move from place to place and we track them when we can. In this case we didn't find them but that's alright -- there are other operations that are ongoing."

Footage taken during the raid showed the commandos taking fire from anti-aircraft positions around the palace as they descended in Chinook helicopters under the cover of darkness.

"They did take anti-aircraft fire on entry. An aerial gunship provided some support as required," he said.

Saddam Hussein's palaces have always been thought to contain secret evidence that the regime has weapons of mass destruction.

SPACE.WIRE