Aid has begun to flow to a small northern Shiite town in Iraq, a day after security forces backed by Iran-allied Shiite militias and US airstrikes broke a two-month siege by Sunni militants.

Two car bombs detonated in a Baghdad neighbourhood today, killing at least eight people.

A RAID by US and Iraqi forces on a suspected rebel training camp left 80 militants dead, the single biggest one-day death toll for rebels in months and the latest in a series of blows to the country’s insurgency, Iraqi officials said yesterday.

Iraqis and the world will get their first glimpse of Saddam Hussein since his capture in December when he and 11 of his top lieutenants are brought to court tomorrow to face war crimes charges likely to include the 1988 chemical weapons massacre of Kurds and the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

Saddam Hussein and leading members of his government will be brought to justice following any regime change in Iraq, opposition leaders pledged yesterday.