Allies blast Baghdad

HEAVY explosions, air raid sirens and the crackle of anti-aircraft fire thundered through Baghdad last night as the Iraqi capital faced a second night of US-led attacks.

With US forces firing cruise missiles against Republican Guard strongholds, red and white tracers streaked across the sky and the flash of explosions lighted up the night sky. Soon afterward, a building in President Saddam Hussein’s main presidential compound went up in flames, with a huge plume of black smoke streaking skyward.

At 10.15pm (0710 GMT) Baghdad’s air raid sirens sounded again, indicating that fresh raids were under way. Surprisingly, there was no black-out in the Iraqi capital with street and building lighting remaining switched on.