SPACE WIRE
Heavy exchange of fire heard in south Baghdad
BAGHDAD (AFP) Apr 06, 2003
 A heavy exchange of fire, including artillery, mortar, machine gun and rocket blasts, could be heard in southern Baghdad Sunday evening, AFP correspondents said.

The exchange started at around 6:40 pm (1440 GMT) and was raging more than 45 minutes later, they said.

Very loud explosions could be heard in central Baghdad, along with the thump of anti-aircraft batteries and the sirens of ambulances.

An AFP reporter who made a tour of southern Baghdad in the afternoon said the streets there were completely empty except for clusters of heavily armed soldiers and activists from the ruling Baath party.

SPACE.WIRE