First relief convoy sets out for Iraq

The first sizeable relief convoy set out for Iraq in a biting sandstorm today as allied forces struggled to clear the way for more aid shipments, using dolphins to remove mines from waterways and hunting Iraqi fighters around the port of Umm Qasr.

Three days after US President George Bush promised “massive amounts” of humanitarian aid, seven large, battered tractor-trailers set off for Umm Qasr carrying food and water donated by Kuwaitis. The convoy was escorted by US soldiers.