The end of the regime is/was a forgone conclusion. It may well be that he is dead, who knows?
What might happen next, is that some last will commands of Saddam may be released by those who were brainwashed enough to be loyal.
Now is the time to be very on guard.
I think it is somewhat irresponsible for the military to release this information, but they are playing a dis/misinformation game. If the citizens think he is in fact dead, it may help to get others to surrender and bring more citizens to our side with vital information.
So much of war these days is information, morale of troops, and the ability to project victory before it actually happens.
Hmmm, sounds like the stock market, doesn't it?