Staff of a Baghdad hospital treat a wounded girl hospital sources say was hurt in a rocket attack by U.S. forces. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it doubted any hospital in Baghdad was still working because of „anarchy“ on the city‘s streets. PHOTO – REUTERS

BAGHDAD – Hundreds of desperate Iraqi civilians besieged the national headquarters of Iraq‘s military intelligence, and began digging the ground to try to find relatives they believe are trapped in dungeons below. Reuters correspondent Khaled Yacoub Oweis said family and friends were appealing for help from the U.S. military to rescue people they said were in underground jails.

„You can hear the sound of conversation below,“ Oweis said. The General Headquarters of Iraqi military intelligence near the Kadhimiya mosque, a shrine for Shi‘ite Muslims, was one of the most feared places in the Iraqi capital under the rule of Saddam Hussein. Iraqis say many thousands of people went missing during Saddam Hussein‘s 24-year rule — allegedly executed, tortured or shut away in prison. There were more scenes of anarchy and chaos elsewhere in Baghdad. Looting, which began when U.S. tanks and troops swept through the city, continued in some areas and sporadic fighting broke out in others.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed alarm at the chaos and looting of public facilities in Baghdad and Basra and called on U.S. and British forces to ensure law and order. The Swiss-based agency said that the Al Kindi hospital in central Baghdad was attacked by armed looters who had stripped it of everything, including beds, electrical fittings and medical equipment. Small hospitals had closed their doors and big hospitals in Baghdad were inaccessible.

U.S. President George W. Bush promised Iraqis in a videotaped message on Thursday that the United States and its war allies would help maintain law and order. A spokesman said it would take time for the security situation to stabilise. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said it appeared there was no functioning government in Iraq and that establishing law and order must be a top concern for the U.S.-led forces in the country.

U.S. General Tommy Franks, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said on Friday the leadership of the regime in Iraq was „either dead or running like hell“. REUTER