Thousands flee Baghdad

A huge convoy of surrendering Iraqis in more than 60 coaches and buses drove out of Baghdad today.

Thousands of army deserters and civilians were seen fleeing the city, a US reporter said this afternoon.

Significantly, no attempts appeared to be made by Saddam Hussein's regime to prevent the exodus from the Iraqi capital.

There were also reports of Republican Guards giving themselves up by the busload to US troops at checkpoints to the south of the city.

Military sources said Republican Guard divisions which were guarding the approaches to Baghdad were no longer a credible fighting force. "This was going to be the big fight," a senior American officer said. "Where is this potent force?"

This afternoon allied forces were said to be within six miles of Baghdad with some advanced units just three miles away.

Iraqis unable to get aboard the Baghdad convoy walked out with their hands on their heads.

ABC correspondent Mike Cerre, travelling with the 1st Marine Division, said the sheer numbers fleeing the capital had forced US troops to stop their advance and set up a PoW compound.

He added: "What is stopping us now is the flood of deserters and civilians, on buses, trucks, taxicabs and whatever they can catch a ride on, trying to make their way south to their families or American forces to surrender.

"There are so many people on the road now that it's impossible to further conduct military operations and so our unit has stopped now."

He said US aircraft had counted more than 60 buses among the convoy.

The exodus came as it emerged that SAS men and US special forces hunted for Saddam and his two sons in daring raids on palaces around the edge of Baghdad and to the north today.

News of the operations came as the battle for Baghdad airport began with a series of explosions.

In the search for Saddam, elite troops blasted their way into Tharthar Palace, described as a "known residence" of the Iraqi dictator and his family.

The coalition teams came under fire during the lightning raid after being dropped from a Chinook helicopter.

Using night-vision goggles they stormed through the palace grounds and blew their way into the building using grenades.

Dramatic pictures released by Central Command showed full-length windows shattered and curtains blowing in the wind as the special forces men ran into the palace. Within minutes the team rushed back to their helicopter and returned to one of their "forward operating bases". No prisoners were taken but a series of documents were snatched.

Two others palaces near Baghdad airport, the Presidential Palace North and Radwaniyah Palace, are also believed to have been targeted.

Tharthar Palace is about 50 miles north of the city near Saddam's home town of Tikrit.

Brigadier General Vincent Brooks said today: "We were looking for the leaders, they were not there, but we did find a lot of information." An American captain added: "Special forces were able to go into several important sites, one specifically a palace in the vicinity of Baghdad, where special forces were able to go, go in, take a look and come back out."

Special forces had already infiltrated some Iraqi command posts in the Baghdad area and secured some bridges and dams.

Elite troops have also blocked the main route from Tikrit to the capital, cutting off the Adnan Division.

A mixed force of Kurdish militia and US paratroopers are poised to attack them from the north.

In a major development this afternoon, the spiritual leader of the Shi'ite Muslims in Iraq ordered his people not to hinder US troops in their operations. Shi'ites are a majority in Iraq but Sunni Muslims such as Saddam, have traditionally ruled the country.

The proclamation came as a series of massive explosions marked the opening of the battle for Baghdad airport - Saddam International Airport - 12 miles from the city.

One witness said: "They are using big bombs, they are very powerful." The attack came after US troops massed near the airport.

It was reported that elements of four Republican Guard divisions were advancing towards the airfield. If they advance across open ground they will be exposed to devastating attack by US rocket artillery, Apache helicopters, A10 tankbuster aircraft and gunships.

The odds are so stacked against any Iraqi formations manoeuvring in the open that there was strong speculation among coalition forces that they too could be coming out to surrender.

The US 3rd Infantry Division met little organised resistance as they swept across the plain towards the Iraqi capital today.

Burnt-out Iraqi tanks and armoured cars littered the desert and huge mushroom clouds from the constant bombardment of Iraqi positions could be seen in the distance.

Captain Frank Thorp, at Central Command war headquarters in Qatar, announced: "Coalition forces at this point are outside Baghdad airport and are positioning themselves to engage that fight at a time of our choice."

After making striking progress on two key southern fronts yesterday, the US forces advancing along the Euphrates and Tigris valleys slowed slightly overnight. This allowed the vanguard to refuel their vehicles and give troops some rest before the assault on the city's defences.

"You do not want your troops to arrive for the main event completely exhausted and without fuel and supplies," said the official.

The bombing of the capital itself continued with targeted strikes every 10 or 20 minutes, including 40 smart bombs on one military storage facility.

Twelve US rockets streaked northwards across the pre-dawn sky in a barrage which US military officers said was capable of destroying everything within a square kilometre.

The allied assault on the Republican Guard also saw B52s dropping a new type of precision-guided, 1,000lb cluster bomb.

Six CBU-105 bombs were dropped, each releasing 10 armour- destroying " bomblets" which descended by parachute onto an Iraqi tank column.