'Blanket of fear until Saddam dies'

A “blanket of fear” will hang over the Iraqi people until Saddam Hussein is captured or killed, the commander of coalition forces said today.

Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez said finding Saddam would help end the guerrilla resistance, which has killed 60 Americans since May 1.

“I believe that as long as Saddam is out there, and we can’t positively either kill him or capture him, there will remain a blanket of fear over the Iraqi people,” he said.

”If we can accomplish that task then it will be a significant turning point in the belief ... of the Iraqi people that that regime will never come back.”

The US army today began training an Iraqi militia force to take up civil defence duties and pave the way for allied forces to leave Iraq eventually.