Garner arrives in Baghdad

The man charged with overseeing the re-building of Iraq arrived in Baghdad today as the United States faced growing calls to withdraw from the country.

Retired US Lieutenant General Jay Garner was taken straight to see a looted hospital after arriving in the Iraqi capital.

He said his priority was to restore basic services such as water and electricity – but thousands of Shiite Muslim pilgrims walking to the holy city of Karbala called on the US to leave.

The power vacuum in Iraq has already thrown up local leaders but US officials said they would not recognise an Iraqi exile who declared himself mayor of Baghdad.

Meanwhile Ahmed Chalabi, the Pentagon’s favourite to lead Iraq, today denied he was a candidate for the top job.

The head of the Iraqi National Congress, who returned to the country from exile in Britain and America, also said he believed Saddam Hussein was alive and “moving around” in Iraq.

Mr Chalabi said the INC had received intelligence about the movements of Saddam and his sons, Qusay and Uday.