Fresh troops to target Saddam's home town as hunt continues

Even before fighting ends in Baghdad, American forces are turning their attention to Tikrit, 110 miles to the north – Saddam Hussein's home town and the likely last bastion of resistance of his regime.

Despite Kurdish claims yesterday that President Saddam has escaped from the capital to take refuge in the town, some US commanders suggested that they were in no hurry to surround or capture Tikrit.

Air attacks were reported yesterday on Republican Guard units in and around the town but US military sources suggested that the marines and armoured units in the Baghdad area would need a period of rest and regrouping before they pushed north.

Dealing with Tikrit, the home town of most senior figures in the Saddam regime, may be left to the troops of the 4th Infantry Division. This unit, which was originally to have invaded Iraq from Turkey, is now in Kuwait and is said to be ready for action in the next few days.

There has been talk of a possible "last stand" by President Saddam in Tikrit but there had been similar speculation about Baghdad until two days ago. Some US military sources believe Tikrit may fall without a fight if Iraq reaches a "tipping point" and there is a popular revolt across the country in the next few days.

Brigadier General Vincent Brooks told a briefing at US Central Command headquarters in Qatar yesterday that there had been a build-up of Iraqi forces around Tikrit but he said he did not expect an especially difficult fight for the city.

"We've seen there have been some forces deployed in and around the Tikrit area. Many of them have moved as we were having more and more success on the south-western side of Baghdad and the south-eastern side of Baghdad," Brig Gen Brooks said.

"We anticipate that any fighting that would occur there, if we happen to go to Tikrit, would be similar to what we've seen in other parts of the country."

He said that he expected resistance to come from a combination of conventional military forces, irregular forces and those still loyal to President Saddam's Baath party.

"I'm not predisposed as to when we might go in that direction ... but we're certainly focused on Tikrit to prevent the regime from being able to use it as a place to command and control, to restore command and control, or to hide," he said.

An official at Central Command told Reuters that he hoped President Saddam's hold on Tikrit would collapse without the kind of fighting American and British forces faced when taking Baghdad and cities to the south.

Special operations troops were combining with air strikes yesterday to hit command and control locations and Iraqi troops in Tikrit. Remnants of the Republican Guard were believed to be re-grouping in the area after moving south last week to shore up the crumbling defences of Baghdad.

American rescue teams were searching for the crew of a F-15E fighter jet that went down on a mission near Tikrit.

Surrounded by mountains, desert and the river Tigris, Tikrit could provide a last bastion if there are Iraqi forces still prepared to fight. On the other hand, it could provide President Saddam and his sons – if they are still alive – with a springboard for escape into Syria.