At around 7:10 am (0310 GMT) the sound of artillery fire and anti-aircraft guns could be clearly heard and were intermittently pierced by machine-gun fire.

It was difficult to determine the exact location of the clashes as the sky was obscured by smoke from burning oil in trenches dug around the capital by Iraqi forces at the start of the war.

The activity seemed to be coming from the direction of the international airport, which was seized two days ago by US troops.

The streets of Baghdad were practically devoid of cars or civilian activity.

US warplanes flew at low altitudes sometimes over Baghdad all night without bombing any targets.

The US 3rd Infantry Division had completed on Sunday the western portion of a planned encirclement of Baghdad and was waiting for US marines to close the door from the east, according to Major Ross Coffman.

SPACE.WIRE