Sandstorm sweeps over Baghdad as explosions ring out

A howling desert sandstorm cast a yellow pall over the city and distant explosions could be heard more and more frequently today as Baghdad braced for the onslaught of allied forces closing in on the capital.

More security and police officers were seen on the streets, and residents said members of Saddam Hussein’s feared intelligence agencies were also taking up positions.

Bigger trenches were being dug around Baghdad, including in the courtyard of the Iraq museum, which is home to priceless antiquities.

Witnesses said the intelligence headquarters was hit again in a raid yesterday. The sprawling defence complex was also hit, with a large building severely damaged.

The intermittent sound of distant explosions was heard throughout the city for much of the day.

By early afternoon, a sandstorm was in full swing over the city, dramatically reducing visibility. Strong winds howled, adding to the discomfort of residents.

Iraq often sees sandstorms in the spring, but today’s storm was exceptional, bringing dust and sand from as far away as Egypt and Libya, AccuWeather meteorologist John Gresiak said.

He said lighter winds were forecast tomorrow and then no major sandstorms for at least a few days.

State radio and television continued to broadcast patriotic songs and archival footage of Saddam.

All newspapers published on their front pages the text of Saddam’s address to the nation yesterday, along with pictures of the Iraqi leader.

Rubbish seemed to be piling up in parts of the city, although public buses were running normally, many more shops were open than at any other time since the war began, and traffic picked up, reaching perhaps half the pre-war level.

Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf said today that eight coalition soldiers were killed and three armoured cars destroyed in a battle in Suq ash-Shuyukh, about 18 miles south of Nasiriyah.

British military officials at US Central Command said they had no information about the report.

Sahhaf also singled out an Iraqi woman named Mayssoun Hamid Abdullah as a heroine for striking an armoured vehicle with a rocket-propelled grenade.

He said the Iraqis “await surprises on how the American game of shock and awe will fail”.

Also today, Iraqi Trade Minister Mohammed Mehdi Saleh lashed out at the US and Britain, accusing them of preventing food and medicine from reaching his country via the UN oil-for-food programme.

“America and Britain should not punish this great people with it barbaric methods,” he said.

Nevertheless, he said the government has distributed six months’ rations to its citizens, and “we assure them that we have enough food and medicine to confront the enemies.”