Troops hindered by sandstorms

An American marine fights for his tent as a severe sandstorm hits the US army's Camp Viper in the Iraqi desert.

Spring is Iraq's season of sandstorms, but those that raged yesterday and again today are said to be the worst in living memory.

Fanned by 40mph winds, the storms - expected to last another day at least - are hampering the push for Baghdad. Tank and troop convoys have been halted, helicopters grounded and fixedwing aircraft crew have been effectively blinded by swirling sand which has reduced visibility in some areas to 500 yards.

Further south, British troops around Basra, who endured similar conditions yesterday, now face thunderstorms, torrential rain and freezing gale force winds. Trenches have flooded and, with thick fog which also descended today, some positions look more like the Somme than the desert.