Stormin' Norman says attack 'boggles the mind'

The leader of US forces during the last Gulf War said the bombing raids in Baghdad tonight are much more intense than any in the first conflict.

General Norman Schwarzkopf, who led the 1991 invasion of Iraq, told NBC that the bombing was much more intense than that seen in the first conflict.

“This is far more devastating than anything we had the ability to do. It really boggles the mind.”

Human rights organisation Amnesty International said that in response to the start of the large scale attack on Baghdad, a city of five million people, it was seeking urgent clarification from the US and UK governments of the measures taken to protect against civilian casualties.

The organisation warned that under international humanitarian law, an attack must be cancelled or suspended if it became apparent that it was causing disproportionate loss of civilian life.