Guerrillas carried out a series of raids in the Iraqi city of Samarra yesterday, stealing weapons from a police station, blowing it up, and exchanging fire with police and US troops. At least five Iraqis were killed, and the city police chief resigned.

A TOP US official warned Iraq yesterday it is "surrounded" and added Washington is looking to spend up to hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade Turkish bases that could be used in a war against Iraq.