Baghdad citizens in rush to grab supplies

AFTER months of displaying business-as-usual calm even as legions of US troops assembled within striking distance of Iraq, Baghdad residents showed signs of panic yesterday at the prospect of an imminent US invasion and the lawlessness that it may spark.

People cleared stores of bottled water and canned food, converted sacks of Iraqi currency into dollars and waited in long lines for gasoline.

Merchants fearful of looting emptied their stores of electronics and designer clothing, while soldiers intensified work on trenches and removed sensitive files from government buildings. People crammed into cars with their household possessions and drove out of the city.