US troops seize key buildings in centre of Baghdad

Day 19: Presidential palaces and government buildings targetted: Hoon urges caution; Red Cross warns Baghdad hospitals are running short of supplies

American forces raided the heart of Baghdad today, storming a presidential palace and briefly placing tanks outside the Information Ministry and Al–Rashid hotel – sending a clear message to the remnants of President Saddam Hussein's regime that US troops could enter the Iraqi capital at will.

The thud of artillery shells and the crackle of heavy machine gun fire reverberated throughout Baghdad. Buildings shook violently as missiles crashed into targets and black smoke shrouded the air.

Armoured columns of the 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry division entered the city about 6 a.m. with more than 70 tanks and 60 Bradley fighting vehicles. A few hours later, US Marines entered Baghdad after incurring heavy fire on the city's outskirts. .

Colonel David Perkins, a brigade commander in the 3rd Infantry, told his troops the operation was intended to be "a dramatic show of force" that U.S. troops can enter Baghdad at will.

Tanks were also placed briefly outside the Information Ministry building and the city's Al–Rashid Hotel. Col. Perkins said another palace on the eastern side of the Tigris also was under attack. The ruling Ba'ath Party headquarters nearby was completely destroyed and U.S. forces used explosives to blast away at least two statues of Saddam.

"I hope this makes it clear to the Iraqi people that this (regime) is over and that they can now enjoy their new freedom," Col. Perkins said.

Iraq's Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al–Sahhaf, speaking to reporters outside the Palestine Hotel, denied that there was an assault on Baghdad.

"Be assured Baghdad is safe, secure and great. "There is no presence of American infidels in the city of Baghdad, at all," he said. Clouds of dust blew past and sirens could be heard as he spoke.

Most Iraqis stayed indoors, but some shops remained open and public buses were running. Iraqi TV and state radio stayed on the air, broadcasting patriotic songs, religious sermons and archival footage of Saddam.

At the Pentagon, senior defence officials said the raid was not an effort to occupy the city, or even part of it, although the Americans might stay a bit longer than on earlier incursions.

Marines closing in on Baghdad from the south were told to take off their protective suits Monday for the first time in 20 days, a sign of easing fears of possible use of chemical or biological weapons.

Nonetheless, the operation remained fraught with dangers.

Four or five Marines were killed when their Amtrack troop transporter was hit by an artillery shell at a bridge over a canal on the outskirts of Baghdad.

UK Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon urged caution saying that the picture in the country was "mixed" and outside the main cities not as good as US and UK troops would like

He said that British and US troops faced a potentially difficult and dangerous time as they dealt with the remaining pockets of resistance. "The regime's resistance is not necessarily at an end," he said.

"In Baghdad itself as in other urban areas, coalition forces may well face a difficult and dangerous period of flushing out Iraqi forces, particularly the various groups of irregulars, thugs and fanatics who hang on to the coat tails of the regime.

He added however: "What is clear that Saddam Hussein's regime is coming to an end and that a better future is in sight for the Iraqi people."

Overwhelmed hospitals in Baghdad are running out of drugs and anesthetics and are short of water and electricity, the international Red Cross said.

"There is no doubt really that the resources and staff of these places are really stretched to the limit," said Florian Westphal, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Al–Kindi, one of the five major hospitals treating war wounded in Baghdad, received more than 50 casualties in a five–hour period today, ICRC staff were told.

"Even the hospitals are having trouble keeping track of how many patients they have," Mr Westphal said, adding that some injured people may be unable to reach hospitals.

He said injuries were both from bombing and from ground fighting but had no information on how many of the casualties are civilians.

The ICRC also is concerned about the lack of electricity and water at Baghdad's hospitals.

"They have very little power, if any. This morning, for example, they said they were functioning entirely with generators," Mr Westphal said.