SADDAM Hussein's survival was again in doubt today after the US military's second bid at decapitating his regime shattered three buildings and left a 60ft deep crater in a Baghdad road.

SADDAM Hussein's survival was again in doubt today after the US military's second bid at decapitating his regime shattered three buildings and left a 60ft deep crater in a Baghdad road.

Rescue workers said two bodies had been recovered from the rubble and that the death toll could be as high as 14. US officials said they had "good intelligence" the Iraqi president and his sons had been at the location.

Windows and doors as far as 300 yards from the blast site were damaged by shock waves after a B-1B bomber dropped four "bunker-busting'' bombs on the al-Mansour neighbourhood yesterday at noon.

Next to the crater were a heap of concrete, mangled iron rods, orange trees ripped from their roots and shreds of furniture and clothes.

US officials said they had received a tip-off from three separate sources that Saddam and his sons Uday and Qusai were meeting at the site.

"A leadership target was hit very hard,'' said Marine Maj Brad Bartelt, a spokesman at US Central Command in Qatar. He said he could not comment on casualties or say how long it would take to determine the damage.

US fighter jets made several bombing sorties over Baghdad this morning, hitting among other targets the offices of the Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera and Abu Dhabi TV.

The Al-Jazeera television network today said one of its journalists was killed when its Baghdad office was hit during a US bombing campaign.

Tareq Ayoub died after suffering serious wounds, the network said, describing him as a "martyr of duty" and a "dear and loyal colleague''.

Al-Jazeera said another member of its crew was missing.