Fresh explosions in Mosul: Al-Jazeera

The main northern Iraqi city of Mosul was rocked by three fresh US-led air raids early on Monday, the Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera said.

The last of the raids hit the city at about 7:20 A.M. (0950 IST), according to the channel's correspondent in the city, adding the sky was filled with plumes of dark smoke after the explosions.

Iraqi anti-aircraft batteries opened up during the first two raids, he said, without being able to give specific information on the targets.

Mosul has been hit by coalition bombing every day since Saturday, according to reports from the scene. One of the targets has been a palace compound belonging to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Some 350 km north of Baghdad on the Tigris River, Mosul is home to around 300,000 people.

First Published: Mar 24, 2003 11:47 IST