Troops mass on border

Waves of Allied troops massed on the Iraqi border at dawn today, signalling the start of the advance on Baghdad.

As US war planes screamed over Iraqi soldiers dug into trenches within sight of Kuwait, a formidable armoured column pushed forward from the Allied base camps in the Kuwaiti desert.

Constant air raids on Iraq have been stepped up, with B1 bombers systematically destroying radar stations and telecommunications towers.

The troop movements came within hours of President Bush's ultimatum which gave Saddam Hussein a 48-hour deadline to go into exile with his sons or face invasion.

The Iraqi leader was typically defiant, warning that American forces will find an Iraqi fighter ready to die for his country "behind every rock, tree and wall", although in a faltering concession, he went on to insist that Iraq no longer has weapons of mass destruction.

In Westminster, a testing day for Prime Minister Tony Blair began with another blow as health minister Lord Hunt followed Robin Cook out of the Government, dramatically quitting live on radio.

Mr Blair also faced the possible loss of international development secretary Clare Short, who was "reflecting on her position" overnight.

Mr Blair expects another backbench uprising when Parliament debates Iraq at lunchtime and although Tory support will help him survive a vote tonight on taking military action, Labour rebels will leave him in no doubt that they think he does not carry the will of the country.

In Baghdad, United Nations weapons inspectors quit their headquarters in a convoy of minibuses, expressing their sadness as they prepared to board flights out of the country. British nationals were also warned by the Foreign Office to quit Bahrain and Jordan.

And while Australia and Japan quickly fell in behind President Bush, France led opposition which came from Mexico, New Zealand, Indonesia and China.