Saddam strikes defiant pose

Saddam Hussein strikes a resolute pose as he prepares to address members of his most-trusted Special Republican Guard.

The image, released by the official Iraqi News Agency, shows Saddam at a Baghdad meeting broadcast on state television last night.

He said there was no justification for the United Nations order to destroy Iraq's Al-Samoud missiles and, in a rallying cry to the nation, he said he was not afraid of the US.

"After they could not find weapons of mass destruction because they do not exist, the enemy has begun to focus on minor issues, including the rockets," Saddam told the senior army commanders.

"Do they reach Israel? No. Do they reach the United States? No. Why do they focus on this detail? Because they think that such minor issues will affect your morale."

Iraq has crushed 28 missiles out of a stock of about 100, but while the destruction of weapons has gone on, the visible signs of preparations for war are becoming clearer.

The Special Republican Guard, Saddam's so-called "golden division" of 12,000 loyal troops in four brigades, are equipped with armoured artillery and air defence, responsible for protecting their leader and his many presidential palaces.