BAGHDAD, 21 March 2003 — Sameh Mohammad, 10, was out on the streets of Baghdad buying chocolate during a morning lull after US President George W. Bush launched a war on Iraq yesterday.

“My parents told me they (American planes) will come back at night and that we have to go back to the shelter,” said the boy, happy to have his chocolate provision for the night. Born after the 1991 Gulf War, Sameh recounted his first experience of war.

“My parents woke me up when the wailing sirens set off and took me down to the shelter. I heard the bombardment and the air raids. All of us in the building went down.

“I was scared. My parents were saying ‘don’t be afraid, they will attack and leave and nothing will happen to us’,” he said sceptically.

“But if a missile falls nearby, our whole building will collapse,” he said, pointing to the dilapidated old building he lives in.

Most Iraqis were still in bed when the United States began its war to overthrow President Saddam Hussein but many others were out at mosques for dawn prayers, even though Washington had warned a strike could come any time from 4:00 a.m. in Baghdad. “We were at the mosque praying. When we heard the pounding everyone started shouting Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest),” said Abu Ahmed, a driver. “We prayed for the safety of our country and our people and cursed the filthy Bush.”

“Nobody accepts that his country is attacked,” he said as he waited for customers wanting to flee to Jordan. He said he took Arabs but not Iraqis because of restrictions imposed by Jordan, which had sent dozens of Iraqis back in recent days. The drivers to Syria and Jordan were going on with business as usual, saying they did not fear the war. “They do not frighten us, even if they brought 500,000 soldiers, they won’t be able to scare us,” said Abu Ahmed, 50.

Some Iraqis took advantage of the lull to venture out to the few open bakeries, food stores and pharmacies.

Some children played football outside their homes. Iraqi fighters wearing military fatigues were also on the streets.

While many people said they were relieved that the initial US attack was not as fierce as Washington had threatened, others expressed fears of what might come.

They predicted a long and draining war. Most realised that yesterday’s strikes were not the real battle the United States was gearing up for. “It was a limited, precise and surgical attack but we know that it will intensify. Every day will be worse than the other. It will be a long war because America wants to achieve its goal and this will take time,” said grocery store owner Jassem Khalaf, 45. “The leadership will fight until the last drop of blood and will not surrender to Bush,” he added.

Bush, who gave Saddam and his two sons 48 hours to leave Iraq on Monday night, has promised a blitz which media reports estimate at 3,000 bombs and missiles in an opening salvo if Saddam stays put.

Saddam has said he is ready to die fighting. Most people, who have lived with the bitter experience of war since the 1991 Gulf War and the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, were finishing off shopping errands to return home by sunset, expecting raids to resume at night as they did in 1991.

“We’ve been living in a state of war for too long. We cannot keep indoors every time they attack. Life cannot stop. Only God knows what can happen? As I walk now an air raid can strike,” said Saad Nawaf, who runs a bakery.