US to deploy 120,000 extra troops

UP to 120,000 extra US troops are to be sent to Iraq as Allied leaders faced the prospect of a drawn-out siege of Baghdad. News of the deployment came after the Iraqis promised their capital would become a graveyard for the coalition.

The troops are expected to move into the Gulf in coming weeks as part of a rolling commitment to destroying Saddam Hussein's regime, according to US officials.

They said the troop movements had always been part of the plan and denied they were sparked by unexpected Iraqi resistance.