The US military took 400 volunteers for the new Iraqi army to the northern city of Kirkuk on Monday to begin two months basic training, and American forces passed a third straight day without reporting the loss of a soldier in combat.

According to the military authorities in the Iraqi capital there had not been a US soldier killed in action since late Friday night.

In recent weeks, American forces have seen near daily casualties in attacks by Saddam Hussein loyalists and others. The insurgency has killed 52 American soldiers since May 1, when President Bush declared major fighting over.

The Iraqi army recruits were taken to Kirkuk and on to a US base under heavy guard for fear Iraqi resistance fighters would attack the convoy of red and white buses.

The recruits sent north Monday make up about half the first batch due to begin training under US instructors this month. More than 12,000 Iraqi soldiers are scheduled to be ready for service by year's end and 40,000 by the end of 2004.

Some Iraqi guerrilla fighters have said the Iraqi recruits are collaborators aiding the occupation force. American officials denied reporters permission to talk to the Iraqi recruits for fear of exposing them or their families to retribution.

Those eligible to join the army must be between 18 and 40 and must not have held the rank of colonel or above in Saddam's military. During the two-month training period, they will be paid $60 monthly. Recruits who complete training must serve at least 26 months. Their salaries will be determined according to rank, with top pay of $120 a month.

West of Baghdad, in the town of Khaldiyah, angry residents stormed and ransacked an Iraqi police station on Monday after an incident that began with an ambush on a US convoy.

Witnesses said a US soldier was injured in the ambush and carried into the police facility as American forces opened fire against their attackers. The US military confirmed an incident in Khaldiyah, 50 miles west of the capital, but would provide no details and said there were no US casualties.

Witnesses said Iraqi police joined US soldiers in fighting the attackers and then withdrew inside the police station. The crowd later stormed the station looking for the American forces and Iraqi police, who apparently escaped.

The crowd dispersed when US Kiowa helicopters appeared in the skies and started to circle low overhead. Some hours later, Iraqi police reinforcements reclaimed the burned out building.

US forces continue to close in on Saddam and said they had conducted a series of secret operations in the two weeks since American soldiers killed his sons Odai and Qusai in a gunbattle in the northern city of Mosul, the military said Monday.

"It's just a matter of time. He can't stay in one place very long," 4th Infantry Division spokeswoman Maj. Josslyn Aberle told reporters.

The top secret Special Operations Task Force 20 - which is roaming Iraq, hunting Saddam and other high-profile targets - captured four key individuals last week in raids that were supported by 4th Infantry soldiers, Aberle said.

The Army would not release the four men's names or their connection to Saddam.

Two of them were Saddam's "very close associates," captured Friday during simultaneous raids in Tikrit, the dictator's hometown, Aberle said. Tikrit is 120 miles north of Baghdad.

The two others, described only as high-profile targets, were caught Saturday during a raid in Baiji, just north of Tikrit, she said.

Soldiers say they believe they came within 24 hours of capturing Saddam's new personal security chief - and possibly the dictator himself - during a raid in Tikrit on July 27.

"Based on intelligence that is way above our level, we believe that we have come close on one or two occasions," Aberle said.

Military officials estimate that Saddam is changing locations every four hours. The army has distributed composite photos of how he may have changed his appearance.

"Every day, every night, soldiers and coalition forces are out there, they're actively looking, actively pursuing leads and constantly gathering more intelligence," Aberle said.

Countrywide, over the past 24 hours, the military said it had conducted 17 raids and detained 80 people.

Meanwhile, a member of the US-appointed Governing Council said he expects the council to have a 24-member Cabinet in place within a week.

Adnan Pachachi, one of nine rotating presidents on the council, said the ministers would mostly be "experienced technocrats," suggesting that some acting ministers would be confirmed in their posts.

"We have all the politicians we need in the Governing Council," he said, "so we want technocrats with experience who can show us the way and give us a clear picture of what the priorities are for Iraq."

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