Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

U.S. officials say there is a good chance American soldiers may have killed Saddam Hussein's sons Qusay and Uday.

The soldiers raided a home in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul Tuesday in an apparent search for Qusay and Uday. Witnesses and U.S. miltary officials say the raid sparked a shoot-out lasting several hours that left the house a smoking ruin and left four Iraqis dead.

Officials say they are now trying to determine whether Qusay and Uday are among those killed.

Pentagon officials say the raid was carried out on the basis of intelligence indicating a target of interest was at the site.

Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command says one American soldier was killed and another wounded Tuesday in an ambush west of Baghdad.

A statement says a U.S. convoy was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire on the road between the towns of Balad and Ar Ramadi. Both towns are in an area that has become known as the Sunni Triangle, which is home to many loyalists of Saddam and his outlawed Baath Party.

Hostile fire has killed at least 37 U.S. soldiers since May 1, when President Bush declared major combat in Iraq over.

Also, the International Red Cross says one of its staff members was shot and killed south of Baghdad Tuesday.

Later Tuesday, the U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, is to brief U.S. lawmakers on progress in efforts to stabilize and rebuild Iraq. He is expected to face tough questioning from Democratic lawmakers, who have raised concerns about continuing American casualties as well as the financial burden of reconstruction efforts.

Tuesday, the civilian authority announced the set-up of a new Trade Bank of Iraq, which will have a capital of $100 million. The bank is to support the import and export of goods for Iraq.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.