"He is currently in Baghdad and he is meeting with his commanders," Lieutenant-Colonel Jeff Fanto said.

Centcom declined to give further details on the visit, on day 28 of the war launched on March 20 to bring down Saddam Hussein's regime. US forces entered Baghdad a week ago after driving up from Kuwait in a lightning campaign.

A few minutes before Fanto announced Franks was in Baghdad, Brigadier-General Vincent Brooks told journalists Franks "is where he is every day, he's commmanding his forces in a place he believes he needs to be on the battlefield."

Reporters in Baghdad were not given any inkling of Frank's visit either.

On Sunday, Franks told Fox News television the trip would have "the purpose of seeing my people."

"My view is that a commander goes where he can see the eyes of the people who are doing the hard work," Franks continued.

"Last week I went to An Najaf and I went to Al Kut and I went to other places inside Iraq and that -- and I did that because I wanted to see how the operation was going.

"I'm not looking to have a victory parade in downtown Baghdad, I'm not looking to make some sort of a statement, but I am looking to have the best appreciation of what's going on in that country that I can have because it's my responsibility to do that, Franks said.

SPACE.WIRE