Iraqis pledge bloody fight

Kalashnikovs raised defiantly in the air, Iraqis took to the streets in their thousands today as die-hard supporters of Saddam Hussein prepared for Baghdad's last stand.

Men and women took up arms together, vowing to make American and British troops pay in blood for every inch of the Iraqi capital. Most were card-carrying members of the ruling Ba'ath party, who have most to lose from regime change. Like their leader, they say they will fight to the death.

"We sacrifice our blood and souls for you, Saddam," the crowd chanted, calling for a jihad, or holy struggle, against the expected US invasion. Work gangs armed with spades and picks are gouging out makeshift trenches from the stony ground around shops, office blocks and government buildings.

Soldiers have set up sandbagged machinegun positions at the entrance to the al-Kazim Mosque. But on the eve of destruction the majority of Baghdad's five million population were waiting in fear, caught between national loyalty and relief that Saddam's reign is nearly over.

In places the sense of desperation is almost tangible. Firewood is being hauled by the truckload into the city, which after the bombers strike, will almost certainly be starved of electricity. Huge queues of silent people snake outside rusty lock-ups where water bottles have been stored. But stocks are running out and prices soaring.

The exodus of women and children towards the Jordanian and Syrian border that began on Monday continues apace, but again at a price. Owners of battered buses have raised their charges from $200 to $2,000. These price rises are also reflected in the food market. The price of potatoes and other staple items have virtually tripled. People know now they have to get ready - they have to prepare for the bombing.