US forces hunting Saddam Hussein in Iraq have captured one of his bodyguards, the US military said on Tuesday.

"We can confirm that a bodyguard has been captured," a US spokesman said. He did not give any details.

US troops have staged several raids in the past few days in Baghdad and around Saddam's hometown of Tikrit in their search for the deposed Iraqi leader.

US officers sound ever more confident of finding Saddam, as the $25 million reward on his head entices more informants to come forward. Washington has made much of its plan to pay out $30 million to the person who tipped them off about his sons, Uday and Qusay, who were killed last week in a raid in Mosul.

Saddam was ousted by US-led forces on April 9.

"We're close to catching Saddam. A lot of people are stepping forward with information. He's running out of places to hide," army spokeswoman Sergeant Amy Abbot said on Monday.

Washington hopes that finding Saddam would help end a guerrilla campaign that has killed 50 US troops since President Bush declared major combat over on May 1.

In the last few days, US troops swooped on three farmhouses near Tikrit and captured several suspects.

In Mansur, a smart district in western Baghdad, troops from the Task Force 20 special unit hunting Saddam and his inner circle staged a bloody raid on a villa on Sunday evening, but found no trace of Saddam.

During the raid they opened fire on two cars driving nearby, killing at least five Iraqis including a boy in his early teens. Furious locals accused the soldiers of firing indiscriminately on innocent civilians.

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