By John J. Lumpkin
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Saddam Hussein's interrogators are initially focusing on the former Iraqi president's ties to the guerrilla war, pressing him for intelligence about impending attacks and the locations of resistance leaders, U.S. officials said Sunday.

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Of secondary concern is whether Saddam will answer the many unresolved questions about Iraq's alleged efforts to develop chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and his government's ties to terrorism, the officials said.

That will be addressed down the road, perhaps when interrogators have established a rapport with Saddam, according to the officials, who spoke only on condition of anonymity.

Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, described Saddam as talkative and cooperative. Other officials, however, shied away from suggesting he has provided any useful intelligence yet.

Their immediate hope is that he will have a wealth of knowledge on the insurgency against the U.S.-led occupation force and its Iraqi allies, officials said. But his information grows more outdated by the hour, and the other leaders can move or take other steps to avoid capture.

Officials said there was little initial evidence that Saddam had operational control over the resistance. Officials announced finding no communications equipment, maps or other evidence of a guerrilla command center at Saddam's hiding place.

"Given the location and circumstances of his capture, it makes it clear that Saddam was not managing the insurgency, and that he had very little control or influence. That is significant and disturbing because it means the insurgents are not fighting for Saddam, they're fighting against the United States," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.