Tikrit falls quickly despite last stand fears

US troops entered Saddam Hussein’s home town of Tikrit yesterday, meeting little resistance despite fears it could be the scene of a last stand by regime diehards.

Tanks rolled into the main square overnight after coalition warplanes bombarded the city. Journalists travelling with US forces reported that they quickly took control.

ITV News reporter Julian Manyon, speaking from the centre of Tikrit, said: "This area is completely secure. There are American soldiers everywhere and there are no signs of resistance.

"It was predicted by some that there would be a battle-royal here but the problem is the Iraqi army has melted away, it would appear."

Despite the apparent ease with which Tikrit was taken, Allied commanders warned that the conflict was not yet over.

Central Command spokesman Captain Frank Thorp said: "It would be premature to say the war is over the Iraqi military appears to be over and organised fighting over but things continue.

"Tikrit is an ongoing operation. We have seen a range of responses varying from abandoned military vehicles and equipment to some pockets of resistance, fighting as we have seen elsewhere in Iraq over the last week."

British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon echoed that view, saying there remains "a number of different and distinct lines of military activity".

One of those was the tracking down of weapons of mass destruction, which Mr Hoon insisted would be found.

"The search is proceeding. Obviously as more areas are liberated we are getting an increasing amount of information from the local people as to where they think those weapons might be hidden.

"Obviously it will take some time to fully analyse what they have to say but that work is underway. We are absolutely convinced they are there."

Despite the huge testing programme and a number of "false positive" results there had as yet been no firm proof of chemical or biological weapons in Iraq.