Iraq's top US administrator Paul Bremer said Sunday he believes deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is still alive and hiding out in the country.

Speaking on Fox News television, Bremer said there is no public support in Iraq for Saddam and he is not coming back.

"The sooner we can either kill him or capture him, the better, because the fact that his fate is unknown certainly gives his supporters the chance to go around and try to rally support for him," he said.

Bremer called on Americans to be prepared for a long presence in postwar Iraq. "It's clear that given the size of the task, we are going to be there for a while," he said. "I don't know how many years."

Earlier in the day, two US soldiers were killed in northern Iraq when their convoy came under attack.

The incident is the latest in a series of guerrilla-style small-arms and grenade attacks that have killed 37 US troops since President George W. Bush declared major military operation was over in Iraq on May 1.

(Xinhua News Agency July 21, 2003)