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US troops arrest high-ranking Iraqi

US troops arrested a high-ranking Iraqi officer who once served as a chief of staff of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard, a bodyguard and 12 other members of a family described as a pillar of support for the ousted regime.

Iraq's US administrator urged Iraqis and the world to look beyond the daily shootouts and power cuts to newly found freedoms in Iraq.

"I don't accept the definition of a country in chaos. Most of this country is at peace," L. Paul Bremer told reporters on Tuesday.

"We have a problem with attacks against coalition forces in a small area of the country by a small group of bitter-end people who are resisting the new Iraq. We will deal with them and we will dominate them. They will either be killed or they will be captured."

On the outskirts of Tikrit, Saddam's hometown, US soldiers captured 14 men in a three-hour operation. All were members of a family that served as a pillar of support for Saddam's regime, said US Lieutenant Colonel Steve Russell. He declined to name the detainees.

Among those rounded up was a Saddam bodyguard and a former chief of staff of the Republican Guard, Russell said.

"They were trying to support the remnants of the former regime by organizing attacks, through funding and by trying to hide former regime members," Russell said.

In Baghdad, Bremer said that while Iraqis complain of unsafe streets and shortages of power, they must also realize that Saddam's fall has improved their lives.

"I think it's important to ... look beyond the shootouts and blackouts and remind ourselves of a range of rights that Iraqis enjoy today because of the coalition's military victory," he said.

Meanwhile, about 20km north of the capital, in an area called al-Taji, a burst pipeline shot flames 60m into the air and sent black clouds over the capital.

US military spokeswoman Nicole Thompson confirmed there was a pipeline fire but had no further details.

The fire sent a massive black cloud drifting over Baghdad for several hours on Tuesday. Iraqi firefighters eventually put out the blaze with flame-retardant chemicals.

It was unclear whether the fire was an accident or the work of saboteurs, but many pipelines across Iraq have been hit by guerrillas seeking to destabilize US reconstruction efforts.

Another pipeline fire was spotted northwest of Baghdad, near the town of Haditha.

A US soldier was killed while riding in a Humvee in Ramadi on Tuesday, a site of frequent attacks on American troops 100km west of Baghdad. A US military spokesman said the convoy was hit by three roadside bombs wired to explode in succession. Two other soldiers were wounded.

Another American soldier was found dead in his bunk on Tuesday morning at a Ramadi base. In Mosul, in the far north of the country, the US military reported a soldier died when his Humvee collided with a taxi.
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