An Iraqi informant who led the US forces to the house where deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's two sons -- Uday and Qusay -- were hiding will receive two US $15 million rewards, CNN quoted an unnamed military officer as saying.

Uday, 39, and Qusay, 37, were killed by US troops in Mosul in an operation mounted on Tuesday night, which US military officials described as a 'fierce gunbattle lasting six hours'.

CNN said the military officer took part in the operation and quoted him as saying that his forces received information about Uday and Qusay 24 hours earlier.

The informant, said CNN, is in 'protective custody' of the US troops.

Meanwhile, Arabic-language TV network Al Arabiya aired an audiotape Wednesday, purportedly from Saddam.

Agencies