It gave no details about where Franks is said to have gone. The announcement comes on a day when US troops raided two of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's palaces in Baghdad in a highly symbolic action seen on worldwide television.

Brigadier General Vincent Brooks told reporters that Saddam's regime no longer had control of much of Baghdad, although it was impossible to confirm the claim on the ground.

AFP reporters in the besieged capital reported heavy fighting throughout the day, including in an area around the city's famed Al-Rashid hotel that was blocked off to reporters by Iraqi forces.

SPACE.WIRE