Troops heading towards Iraqi border

With Saddam Hussein defying the American demand to quit his homeland, thousands of US and British troops, armoured vehicles and trucks advanced toward the Iraqi border today, positioning themselves to invade on short notice.

Iraq’s rubber-stamp parliament, at a special session, rejected the US ultimatum and reaffirmed support for Saddam. The idea that he would flee into exile “is absolutely unthinkable,” said Speaker Saadoon Hammadi.