The network said the group would probably be led by a general and would consist of military personnel, government intelligence analysts, civilian scientists and private contractors.

CNN quoted a defense official as saying initial elements of the "Iraq Survey Group" were already on the ground in Iraq and that the full contingent should be operational within two weeks.

It said the survey team will focus on putting a larger number of personnel into Iraq to conduct a more organized search for WMDs based on intelligence leads.

The latest effort, said CNN, underscores the growing Pentagon view that the United States no longer expects to find WMDs on its own, but will have to offer rewards to Iraqis to draw out information on where to look.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a town meeting at the Pentagon earlier Thursday, "I think what will happen is, we'll discover people who will tell us where to go find it.

"It is not like a treasure hunt, where you just run around looking everywhere hoping you find something," said Rumsfeld. "The (UN weapons) inspectors didn't find anything, and I doubt that we ill. What we will do is find the people who will tell us."

SPACE.WIRE