Faced with the start of suicide attacks in the battlefield and press reports accusing Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld of "micro-managing" the Iraqi campaign, Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Richard Myers hit out at critics.

Rumsfeld denied reports he had rejected advice from military commanders to use substantially more troops and armour.

"I think you'll find that if you ask anyone who has been involved in the process from the Central Command, that every single thing they've requested has in fact happened," Rumsfeld said on Fox News television.

Rumsfeld insisted that the military plan, which he said was devised by Central Command chief General Tommy Franks, was "outstanding" and that the critics had not seen it.

The defence secretary also insisted there would be no letup in the war, despite reports that there would be a pause while an aerial bombardment of Baghdad and Revolutionary Guard units surrounding the Iraqi capital were pursued.

Rumsfeld told ABC television there were "no plans for pauses or ceasefires".

However Rumsfeld and Myers warned that a long campaign for Baghdad should be expected.

"There are difficult days ahead. And to the extent the Republican Guard pose difficulties, which we expect them to, there will be dangerous days ahead," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Fox News.

Myers said: "We have the power to be patient in this we are not going to hurry," he said. "We will be patient and continue to draw the noose tighter and tighter" around the regime of President Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.

The general said that about 50 percent of US air attacks Saturday was directed at Revolutionary Guard positions around Baghdad.

The US leadership has been put under renewed pressure by press reports saying that senior US military planners had accused Rumsfeld of "micromanaging" operations in Iraq and ignoring recommendations from military officials.

New Yorker magazine quoted one senior planner as saying: "He thought he knew better. He was the decision-maker at every turn."

Joint Chiefs of Staff had recommended deploying four or more Army divisions in the Iraq campaign, which Rumsfeld rejected, the report said.

Their plan also called for shipping by sea hundreds of tanks and other heavy vehicles -- enough for three or four divisions -- in advance, but Rumsfeld chose to rely on equipment already in Kuwait, which was enough for one divison, the report said.

The Washington Post also said that serving and former military officers were accusing Rumsfeld and his aides of not sending enough troops to Iraq and that they had "micromanaged" deployments because they did not trust their generals.

Rumsfeld dismissed the reports as "absolutely false".

Myers said that the Central Command chief "got exactly what he wanted".

"Everybody agreed that the plan is the right plan, the forces are the appropriate number."

"There are no new requests for forces, we think we have the forces to do the job."

The defence secretary and the head of the chiefs of staff were also closely questioned about suicide attacks on US forces in Iraq and Kuwait, which the US military said killed four American troops.

Iraq said Sunday that thousands of Arab volunteers were ready to die in suicide attacks on US and British soldiers.

Myers, highlighting doubts about the fate of the Iraqi president, said this was a "desperation tactic" by the Baghdad leadership.

"They are in some sort of shock, we have not seen him," declared the general, insisting that television appearances since the opening bombing raids on Saddam's compound had all been recorded.

"There are a lot of rumours in Baghdad about where he is, where his wife is, where his sons are."

Rumsfeld said "death squads" already were terrorizing Iraqis who sided with the US-led forces, and conceded "there's no question but that a terrorist that's willing to die can kill other people."

WAR.WIRE