Iraqi division of 8,000 troops ‘surrenders’

Thursday March 20 - 0100: Bush’s deadline for Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq expires.

0230: Air raid sirens sound across the Iraqi capital, and minutes later explosions and anti-aircraft fire are heard. There are reports of a large pall of smoke across the south of Baghdad as dawn breaks.

0315: President Bush says coalition forces have begun striking "targets of military importance" in Iraq. It was later claimed that Saddam Hussein was in one of the compounds struck by the missiles.