Cruise missiles hit Saddam's palace in Baghdad

9.45am

BAGHDAD - US cruise missiles slammed into President Saddam Hussein's main Baghdad palace during an attack that set buildings ablaze in the city and caused massive explosions.

Missiles flew in at low altitude and hit a string of targets across the Iraqi capital in a second wave of missile attacks that followed yesterday's initial dawn raid, witnesses told Reuters.

About 500km to the southeast, US and British units crossed the border into Iraq from Kuwait at the start of an invasion that Washington says will topple Saddam.

The missiles hit Saddam's main sprawling palace complex on the banks of the Tigris river in central Baghdad. Iraqi radio said no one was hurt in a separate attack when missiles hit a family home of Saddam.

Fires broke out around the planning ministry in the centre of Baghdad and other blazes could be seen in the southeast of the city.

Fire fighters and ambulances were at the scene. One of the buildings housed an office of Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz. Sirens sounded an all-clear shortly before 9am NZT.

The whole western bank of the Tigris which cuts through the city was shrouded in smoke. Several government ministries are located on the west bank.

To the east of the city there were several explosions in the vicinity of the al Rashid military base.

The blasts came shortly after air-raid sirens sounded in Baghdad and anti-aircraft fire lit up the night sky.

Witnesses said that the attack was more intense than previous strikes early yesterday, which began Washington's war against Iraq.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq