An Iraqi TV cameraman returning from the airport around 9:45 pmtold AFP correspondents in Baghdad that he had seen incoming artillery shells and dozens of dead and wounded.

John Irvine, a correspondent for Britain's ITN television news, added that he had also seen artillery shells raining down on the airport, just 20 kilometres (12 miles) from central Baghdad, more than three hours earlier.

Irvine had missed an earlier trip for journalists to the airport arranged by the information ministry and had set out later independently.

When the car he was travelling in reached the last Iraqi army checkpoint, 500 yards (metres) from the entrance of the airport at around 6:00 pm, Irvine heard incoming artillery fire.

He immediately jumped out of the car and hid in an air raid shelter beside the road for a few minutes with four Iraqi soldiers.

After a brief respite in the shelling, Irvine drove off only to hear more artillery fire raining down, which forced him to hide out in a field for 10 minutes.

He said he saw a lot of smoke and broken trees on the way back to Baghdad.

US Central Command neither confirmed nor denied the assault on Saddam International Airport.

"All I can tell you is we are operating in the vicinity of Baghdad," a spokesman said.

SPACE.WIRE