Assault on Saddam's town
American military chiefs are preparing a massive assault on Saddam Hussein's Tikrit stronghold - expected to be the war's last major battle.
US Central Command today revealed it is ready to flatten Tikrit with the biggest non-nuclear weapon in the world, the 21,000lb MOAB, the "mother of all bombs".
But military chiefs are trying to assess the effect that using such a weapon would have on Arab opinion.
Despite the euphoria of the past 24 hours, US commander General Tommy Franks says he will end major operations only when all resistance has been crushed in Saddam's heartland. Some intelligence sources believe Saddam could be operating from bunkers there. A limited operation to take the city has already begun.
Barracks and garrison buildings have been bombed by US Navy strike aircraft from the carrier USS Constellation.
The Iraqi infantry dug in to defend Tikrit have been pounded for days from the air by precision bombs. Fears are mounting that the Ba'ath diehards could turn themselves into a guerrilla army - something previous generations of the party did in the 1950s as they tried to topple the monarchy.
Strategists believe the threat of the MOAB, may encourage the last remaining Iraqi soldiers to put down their weapons, strip off their uniforms and go home without a fight.
American forces are still almost 100 miles from Tikrit, except for special forces patrolling the main road linking it to Baghdad to stop a major flight there. But 30,000 soldiers could be there in less than a week.
