More and more blasts heard as Baghdad digs in

The people of Baghdad were today carving bigger defensive trenches around the capital.

As the distant explosions grew more frequent, security and police officers fanned out across the city and residents said members of Saddam Hussein's feared intelligence agencies also were posted on the streets. Meanwhile soldiers of Iraq's elite Special Republican Guard have disguised themselves as civilians ready to launch a guerrilla war, according to refugees fleeing the city.

Military analysts believe the British and Americans' vast technological advantage will be greatly diminished if they are sucked into costly skirmishes in Baghdad's narrow streets. Much of the allies' hi-tech war tools could be rendered useless in messy street-to-street fighting where local knowledge is always the most valuable weapon.

Such considerations were on hold, however, because of the weather. By this afternoon, a fierce sandstorm in the Baghdad area had considerably worsened and the wind had picked up. The reduced visibility was hampering movements of coalition troops preparing for the battle with elite forces protecting the city.

'Jammers' destroyed: The Allies reported success, however, over six satellite jamming devices being used in an attempt to thwart American precision guided weapons. Air Force Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart said: "We have noticed some attempts by the Iraqis to use a GPS jamming system that they obtained from another nation. We have destroyed all six of those jammers in the last two nights' airstrikes. I'm pleased to say they had no effect on us."

President had called the Russian President Vladimir Putin to complain about the alleged sales of high-tech equipment, which could pose a threat to American troops. The Kremlin has denied the allegations that Moscow had broken UN sanctions to sell such weapons to Iraq.

Friendly fire: There was almost another tragic accident for the Allies. A US Patriot anti-missile battery "locked on" to a US F-16 jet. The jet fired on the missile and destroyed it. On Saturday, a US Patriot battery shot down an RAF Tornado GR4 near the Kuwaiti border, killing the two crew members.

Iraqi message: Saddam Hussein sent a message to Iraq's tribal and clan chiefs.

"Fight them in pockets and when their columns move, hit their front and rear," he told them, according to state television. "Those of you who have been reluctant to fight and waiting for the order, consider this to be the command of faith and jihad and fight them."

"Inflict damage on them, and although it may not be big, you'll see how they will flee because they are away from home and because they are aggressors," Saddam said.

Anger at UN: The Iraqi Trade Minister Mohammed Mehdi Saleh criticised the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the US and Britain, accusing them of preventing food and medicine from reaching his country via the U.N. oil-for-food program. He said: "America and Britain should not punish this great people with it barbaric methods."

Nevertheless, he said the government had distributed six months' rations to its citizens, and "we assure them that we have enough food and medicine to confront the enemies."