"Notwithstanding press reports to the contrary, I see no evidence that he's pulling any strings," Powell told the ABC program "Nightline" in an interview to be broadcast on Friday.

    "I don't know where he is or what he's doing, but we really don't have the evidence to put together a claim that he is pulling all the strings among these remnants in Baghdad and other parts of the country that are causing us the difficulty," he added, according to a transcript released in advance.

    Powell also cast doubt on reports that one of Saddam's deputies, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, was behind the attacks.

    "Earlier in the week, there was another story that this man by the name of al-Douri was doing it. But I see no evidence to support that," he said.

    The New York Times on Friday quoted senior U.S. officials as saying that Saddam may be playing a key role in coordinating and directing attacks against U.S. forces.

    It said they cited intelligence reports showing Saddam was acting as a catalyst or a leader in the armed resistance, probably from somewhere near his hometown Tikrit.

    Powell said Saddam must be devoting much of his time and energy to keeping out of U.S. custody. "He knows he cannot show his face because we would certainly capture him and I'm not sure the Iraqi people would greet him very warmly if he showed his face right now," he added.

    U.S. forces have failed to find either Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader believed to be living in Pakistan or Afghanistan.

    Asked to explain the failure to find Saddam, Powell said: "He certainly has survival instincts that probably made it possible for him to put in place some refuge or some place where he could hide." Enditem

(China Daily/Agencies)