Looters run riot as troops stand back

TAKING the law into their own hands, Baghdad residents blockaded streets and beat up looters yesterday as the US said the military does not intend to act as a police force.

Thousands of Iraqis, including entire families, plundered and burned government ministries and other symbols of Saddam Hussein’s regime in a third straight day of lawlessness that began with the arrival of US troops in Baghdad.

The ministries of education and industry, both in the heart of Baghdad, were looted and set on fire, sending dark smoke over the city.