Iraqi desertions are just the beginning, commanders hope

In an episode that American and British forces hope will be much repeated in coming days, 17 Iraqi soldiers surrendered last night to United States forces in northern Kuwait, hours before Washington's deadline to Saddam Hussein expired.

The soldiers, with their hands up, passed into the demilitarised zone that runs along the 120-mile Kuwait-Iraq border, before giving themselves up. "They're under Kuwait police control now," said Capt Darrin Theriault, of the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division. "There are no prisoners under American control at this moment, but we are prepared to deal with that. We anticipate more."

US and British forces have been preparing for thousands of Iraqi soldiers surrendering rather than fighting. They believe conscripted members of the 300,000-strong regular army will be keen to lay down their arms.

Efforts have been made to communicate with members of the Iraqi military, suggesting it will be better for them if they chose not to fight. In addition to dropping millions of leaflets into southern Iraq urging soldiers not to resist an invasion they have been given specific instructions, telling them to leave their tanks with their turrets reversed and to abandon vehicles in the open while returning to barracks.

In these circumstances, soldiers may not be considered prisoners of war, because they would not have entered hostilities. The US hopes most of the regular Iraqi army will return to normal society.

Another report, unconfirmed but quoting intelligence briefings to senior British and US officers, said mass desertions from the Iraqi army and the defection of very senior figures within Saddam Hussein's ruling family circle had started. It said that on the border with Kurdistan, up to 75 per cent of some Iraqi regiments had already fled. "We are looking at wholesale desertions," one officer said.