New blasts rock Baghdad

Huge explosions echoed across Baghdad early today while south of the capital Saddam Hussein’s Republican Guard came under ferocious Allied bombardment and ground troops engaged in fierce street battles.

The action marks what is believed to be the final push on the Iraqi capital - the central focus of the war, though no indication has been given on timing.

Military sources in Qatar yesterday said US commander General Tommy Franks had been given the “green light” to move on Baghdad when the time was right.

And in Washington, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said “the circle is closing” on Baghdad while in London Prime Minister Tony Blair told his War Cabinet that the conflict had entered its second phase of “a steady advance” towards the Iraqi capital.

A steady stream of powerful explosions pounded down on Baghdad and points south from coalition aircraft.

In the early hours of today a plume of white smoke was seen rising from the southern end of the old palace grounds in the capital.

The palace is the ceremonial seat of government on the west bank of the Tigris, one rarely used openly by President Saddam Hussein.

US Navy officials said missiles launched from allied warplanes yesterday again targeted one of Saddam’s palaces along the Tigris River, Iraq’s Olympic headquarters and even a presidential yacht.

The Al-Salam presidential palace, famous for its four busts of Saddam on each corner of the main domed building, bore two gaping holes.

The former headquarters of the Iraqi Air Force, used in recent years as an officers’ club, was reduced to rubble, a few pillars and an outside wall. A statue of Saddam just outside the building survived intact.

US military officials said allied aircraft also bombed the office of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee, where Saddam’s son Odai is accused by human rights activists of jailing and torturing athletes.

The continual bombing of Republican Guard positions around Baghdad was taking its toll with at least two units of the Republican Guard being left at half their original strength, General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, claimed in Washington.

“We continue to work on them. But some of them have been degraded to pretty low percentages of combat capability – below 50% in at least two cases,” he said.

In southeastern Iraq, coalition aircraft bombed Iraqi forces at Kut along the Tigris River, according to the Associated Press.

The bombing is believed to be aimed at softening up Saddam’s most loyal forces tasked to defend Baghdad, forging a path for ground troops.

Allied forces already appeared to be approaching Baghdad from three positions to the south, one on each side of the Euphrates River and one to the east-south-east.

US troops positioned 50 miles south of the capital targeted the dictator’s elite troops with heavy artillery fire backed up by missiles and precision-guided bombs released by B-52 bombers.

Thunderous explosions and flashes of light lit up the city of Karbala – an approach to Baghdad – as US troops targeted the Medina Division of the Republican Guard.

The battle was the first major ground battle with Saddam’s best-trained troops, according to US defence officials.

Near Diwaniyah, 80 miles southeast of Baghdad, Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 4th Regiment, cleared out Iraqi mortar nests, snipers and tanks along a line several miles wide, killing at least 75 Iraqis and taking 44 POWs.

Marines said Iraqis fought with grenade launchers, machine guns and small arms, trying to ambush the attackers in any way they could.