Ferocious attacks bring 'significant success'

The launch of the brutal American air war against Iraq, designed to stun the country into submission and demolish Saddam Hussein's regime, came at the end of a day of extraordinary drama.

Earlier, American armoured columns had raced across the desert towards Baghdad before running into unexpectedly stiff resistance at An-Nasiriya on a major crossing point across the Euphrates river.

But the Pentagon confirmed last night that an entire Iraqi armoured divsion of 8,000 men and 200 tanks – the 51st Division defending Basra – had surrendered en masse to US marines. The general commanding the division and his deputy accepted an American offer and gave in without a fight.

Fighting continued in other areas, leading the United States to order last night's strikes on Baghdad and other cities.

The important port of Umm Qasr finally fell to US Marines last night after a battle that had begun late on Thursday.

Eight Royal Marine Commandos and four US Marines were killed when their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed close to the Kuwait-Iraq border. They were flying near Umm Qasr to reinforce troop levels on the ground. Two US Marines were later killed in a firefight with Iraqi soldiers while pushing on towards the Rumaila oilfield and Basra.

The prospects of a post-Saddam free-for-all deepened when Turkey announced that it would defy Washington and send troops into the Kurdish controlled sector of northern Iraq. Ankara said last night that the first 1,500 troops had already crossed the border.

The Pentagon confirmed that this was indeed "A-Day" – the opening of the massive aerial bombardment designed to "shock and awe" the Iraqi leadership and their armed forces into submission.

As the bombs and missiles rained down, Donald Rumsfeld, the Defence Secretary, said US-led forces were contacting individual Iraqi units, including elements of the Republican Guard, over a possible surrender. But he denied America had contacted the leadership in Baghdad. "The regime is starting to lose control of the country," he claimed.

Earlier, intelligence officials asserted that the government in Baghdad was "in total disarray" – though that too may well be part of the intense US psychological campaign to weaken President Saddam's grip.

More than 300 cruise missiles struck Baghdad in two waves, with other computer-guided bombs launched from B-52 bombers that had left RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, earlier in the day. The bombardment of Baghdad continued in waves well into Thursday night.

For all the ferocity of the initial bombardment, the plan was flexible, officials said. It could be adjusted according to the level of willingness to fight shown by the Iraqi military and high command.

Confusion remained over the fate of President Saddam, after Wednesday night's raid on a presidential residence in southern Baghdad where he was believed to be with his sons. Senior officials in London and Washington could not confirm suggestions that the President, or his sons Qusay and Uday, had been wounded or even killed as "bunker-busting" bombs smashed into the compound.

Officials said that last night's attack had been intended as the opening stage of Operation Iraqi Freedom. But it was held back in the hope that the strike on Wednesday would destroy the regime at a single stroke. General Tommy Franks, head of US Central Command, was given 48 hours to order the aerial onslaught, at a moment of his choosing.

Geoff Hoon, the British Defence Secretary, described the capture of Umm Qasr and the Al-Faw peninsula as "a significant strategic success". He added: "It means that we have a bridgehead from which to operate, but crucially it means that part of the plan of the Iraqi authorities to destroy their oil wealth has been averted."

Reports were also being received of local people welcoming the invading forces. At the border town of Safwan, residents waved at US Marines and one woman reportedly threw herself at the feet of the troops.

Another man, who identified himself as Abdullah, told reporters that he welcomed the arrival of the Americans. "We're very happy," he said. "Saddam Hussein is a butcher."

The signs are clear, however, that the Allies are not having everything their own way.