Battle for Baghdad 'far from over'

Allied Central Command sounded a strong note of caution today, saying the war, and the battle for Baghdad, were “far from over“.

US spokesman Navy Captain Frank Thorp said: “It would be extremely premature to say it’s over, there may be many fierce days of fighting ahead.

“I would not describe the situation in Baghdad today as ‘quiet’ – we continue to have firefights with small numbers of Iraqi forces.

“These are short, fierce battles in which the Iraqi forces are destroyed.

“Today the fighting continues, we continue to consolidate our positions and we continue to resupply our forces.

“We continue to have sporadic and fierce encounters, these are firefights which last minutes rather than hours.”

He said the small bands of Iraqi defenders were “unable to operate as as an organised force” and were being wiped out.

“The regime’s grip is relaxed and is literally eliminated, specifically in Basra,” he said.

“We have reports of civilians leaving Baghdad. It’s not too big but there are reports of traffic jams.

“Civilians are going through checkpoints we have established on the main thoroughfares to stop military leaders and equipment getting out.”

Following reports that Saddam Hussein escaped an allied attempt to kill him two days ago, speculation is mounting that the Iraqi dictator has reached Tikrit, his birthplace and power base north of Baghdad.

Captain Thorp said: “We continue to strike Tikrit command and control facilities from the air.

“It’s a little too early to say what the resistance in Tikrit is as efforts are mostly from the air.”

Special forces were manning checkpoints on the road from Baghdad to Tikrit to stop regime loyalists heading there.

Captain Thorp also said the the US 4th Infantry Division was “getting ready to enter the battle” from Kuwait.

There has been speculation it could charge north to take Tikrit.

In Baghdad, forces loyal to Saddam have been killed in large numbers trying to take on US tanks in pick-up trucks and buses.

According to one report Special Republican Guards in more than a dozen small boats were wiped out as they tried to cross the Tigris to re-take Saddam’s presidential palace from the US 3rd Infantry Division.

US Marines spread through the sprawling Shia area of Saddam City where they received a warm welcome.

Despite public protestations that the war had some way to go there was a sense among officials at Central Command that Saddam’s regime was no longer in control of its forces in Baghdad.

The US force inside the city, which initially entered on a “raid“, is now several thousand strong and will not be leaving.

Thousands more US troops are expected to pour into the Iraqi capital today.

The US Army V Corps and US Marines have been pushing in to the city in a three-pronged move, while forces were also expanding the area they have occupied in central Baghdad.