Iraq admits rocket hit on Saddam palace

Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Sa’eed al-Sahhaf today acknowledged that one of Saddam Hussein’s homes was hit last night by US air strikes, but he said no one was hurt.

“They rocketed the residence of his household,” he said. “But thank God they are all safe.”

Al-Sahhaf said the Iraqis had destroyed two helicopters in fighting that began with a bombardment of the capital Baghdad early on Thursday.

And in the Iraqi regime’s first response to yesterday’s ground invasion, he rejected reports that US and British forces had taken the strategic port of Umm Qasr.

A British military spokesman in Kuwait said operations in that area were being carried out by the US 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, under the command of the Royal Marines.

He could not immediately confirm reports that the US Stars and Stripes was now flying over the port.

Al-Sahhaf denied that television pictures from CN of US tanks storming north across the desert were filmed in Iraq.

He also claimed that men seen surrendering to Allied troops in separate footage were not Iraqi soldiers.

“They are superpower of villains,” he said of the US. “They are superpower of Al Capone. We will not allow them to get out of this quagmire which we trapped them in. They will see their end there.”