Ahmed Chalabi
Free Iraqi Forces to arrive in Baghdad
US forces rescue 7 PoWs
US marines pushing north from Baghdad to Tikrit have found seven American prisoners of war. US commander, General Tommy Franks, said they were in good shape.
General Franks also said that US forces were now in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit and were not meeting any resistance.
It is reported that negotiations for a surrender are under way in the city.
The Republican Guard had been expected to make a last stand in Tikrit, which lies 150 kms north of Baghdad.
Reports of chemical shells found
The AFP news agency is reporting that US marines have discovered 278 artillery shells carrying a substance that tested positive as a chemical agent.
US Marine Major Stephen Armes said the shells, containing suspected blister agents, were found in trailers parked in a schoolyard. Three were mounted on launchers, he said.
But Lieutenant Colonel Fred Padilla said more tests were required.
US and British forces have yet to find what they consider a 'smoking gun' confirming that President Saddam Hussein possessed nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.
Previous reports of chemical weapons finds have turned out to be false upon further analysis.
Iraqi opposition fighters ready to move to Baghdad
One of Iraq's main opposition groups, the Iraqi National Congress, has said it hopes to move armed fighters into Baghdad soon.
The group's leader, Ahmed Chalabi and 700 armed men styling themselves the 'Free Iraqi Forces' are based near the southern city of Nasiriya.
US forces have been using them to search nearby towns for weapons and for supporters of Saddam Hussein.
Mr Chalabi said his forces, which are under American Command, will move very soon to other areas of Iraq including the capital.
Hundreds queue in Baghdad for jobs
Meanwhile in the Baghdad, hundreds of civil servants and police have been reporting to Coalition forces following an appeal to restore order to the capital where looting has been widespread.
US troops have set up an operations centre to screen Iraqi workers in Baghdad for jobs.
A spokesperson for the US marines said they were seeking to put Iraqis back at work in key sectors, starting with the police and electrical power departments.
The move has caused massive traffic jams, as hundreds of Iraqis queued up at the Palestine Hotel.
Curfew in Baghdad
Last night US forces in Baghdad introduced a night-time curfew in the Iraqi capital last night in an effort to stop looting there.
The US military has promised to take steps to restore law and order in Iraqi cities, saying the have already secured a hospital in Baghdad as well as a water treatment centre there which was threatened by looters.
However, some Coalition commanders insist that it is unrealistic for their forces to police areas where they are still encountering armed resistance.
General Vincent Brooks said the current situation was unacceptable but said that everything possible would be done to alleviate the disorder.
US marine shot dead at checkpoint
A US marine was killed in a gun attack on a checkpoint outside a hospital in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
It is understood two men, posing as gardeners, approached the checkpoint. One opened fire on the soldiers there.
The gunman was shot dead in the incident and was later found to be carrying a Syrian identity card. The second man fled the scene.
300 explosives-packed vests found
US marines found 300 vests packed with explosives which they believe were meant for Iraqi suicide bombers.
US central command in Doha, said that 160 of the vests found in Baghdad, were packed with ball bearings making them even more lethal.
Sixty of the vests were made of black leather and were designed to be worn over clothing.
Before Saddam Hussein's government fell, it claimed that as many as 3,000 Arab volunteers had arrived in the country ready for suicide missions against advancing US-led troops.
Iraqi police assist Coalition forces in Basra
In the southern city of Basra, British forces have begun working with local Iraqi police to try to end days of lawlessness.
Lieutenant Colonel Mike Riddel-Webster, who is in charge of the operation, has dismissed concern that some Iraqis working as police had been loyal to Saddam Hussein and were members of the Ba'ath Party.
Ultimatum given to Shi'ite cleric
In the southern town of Najaf, armed radical groups have surrounded the house of a pro-western Shi'ite Muslim cleric, giving him 48 hours to leave the country.
It is reported that the gangs targeted the cleric, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, because he is Iranian-born. Radical groups opposed to him want an Iraqi as the country's spiritual leader.
