"Uday and Qusay Hussein shared their father's responsibility for the many years of suffering by the Iraqi people," Straw said in a statement.

"They had the opportunity to hand themselves in to justice and answer for their crimes. They refused to do this. It goes without saying that we would have much preferred this, but the news that Saddam's sons are no longer a threat to the security of Iraq will be a reassurance to the Iraqi people," he added.

Britain's defence ministry also welcomed the news of their deaths.

"This shows the results of the continued pressure that the coalition is bringing to bear to root out the remaining elements of Saddam's regime," a defence spokesman said.

The US military confirmed the killings of Saddam's sons.

They were killed Tuesday in a US military raid on a building in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, General Ricardo Sanchez said at a news conference.

Sanchez said positive identification of the bodies had been made from multiple sources.

Britain was the staunchest ally of the United States in the war against Iraq launched in March, which the two countries claimed was justified by Saddam Hussein's refusal to give up weapons of mass destruction.

Some 45,000 British military personnel took part in the swift war to oust Saddam from power.

WAR.WIRE