After the tragic, unexcusable killing of Berg, with the world's sympathies once again swinging toward the US, GWB responds.

"It's not clear" if any "militants" were in the house, but it is clear there were women and children. And the delayed second rocket is a nice touch, don't you think?

"The number of casualties is so high because after the first missile we jumped to rescue the victims," Wissam Ali Hamad told AP news agency.

"The second missile killed those trying to carry out the rescue."

At least 20 Iraqis were killed in the missile strike on Saturday, residents and hospital staff said.

TV pictures from Falluja - where hundreds died in heavy US bombardments in April - showed extensive damage.

The US said it had "significant intelligence" that members of Zarqawi's network were in the targeted house.

It is not clear how many of the victims were militants or if Zarqawi himself - blamed for several bomb attacks in Iraq - was present.

Zarqawi has been blamed by the US occupation forces in Iraq for the beheading of the American contractor, Nick Berg, whose death was filmed and broadcast on the internet.

Hospital sources say women and children were among the victims in Falluja.