Mosul falls, chaos in Baghdad

US bombers continued to pound positions around the town but Saddam’s whereabouts were not known. In Baghdad, Mosul and Basra, law and order crumbled as pent-up passions spilled on to the streets after 24 years of iron rule by Saddam.

In Baghdad, gunmen apparently from the Shiite community battled paramilitaries loyal to Saddam overnight, US sources said. Throughout the day, armed men roamed the streets, robbing buildings and hijacking cars.

‘‘Is this your liberation?’’ screamed a shopkeeper at the crew of a US Abrams tank as youths helped themselves to everything in his store.

At Saddam’s military intelligence headquarters, desperate Iraqis hacked through concrete floors looking for relatives they believed were trapped in dungeons. But the thrill of reaching fathers, brothers, friends turned into disappointment.

US soldiers said the cells were empty. ‘‘They must be all dead, God rest their souls,’’ said a sobbing woman who had been searching for her brother since 1980.

Looting also raged in Basra, where British troops on Friday killed five men trying to rob a bank. Two UN humanitarian agencies said it was not even safe to visit Basra during daylight hours.

The anarchy in Iraq’s main cities highlighted the problems US troops face in restoring public order after a crushing military victory. ‘‘The US have neither the will nor the capacity to rein in the disorder in Iraq,’’ said Bruno Tertrais, senior fellow at the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research.

‘‘Today there are not nearly enough forces in the towns. Secondly, they are tired after three weeks of war.’’

Analysts have also said US forces were reluctant to perform policing missions but a US officer disagreed.

‘‘Now we are a little bit out of our comfort zone, but we’re not unprepared or untrained,’’ Lieutenant Colonel Jim Chartier, commanding officer of the US Marines’ 1st Tank Battalion, said.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said it is too early to declare victory in Iraq but he said Saddam’s control of the country has ‘‘all but disappeared.’’

Brigadier General Vincent Brooks said in Qatar that US troops were issued with a list of 55 people to be captured or killed amid signs Iraqi leaders may be trying to flee abroad.

In Mosul, the US Military said the entire Iraqi 5th Corps had surrendered following negotiations with Western officers, although it was not clear how many men were involved.

Troops of the US 173rd Airborne Brigade moved to control of strategic northern prize of Kirkuk one day after it was captured by Kurdish guerrillas and US special forces.

The Red Cross said Baghdad’s medical system had all but collapsed due to combat damage, looting and fear of anarchy. Washington is trying to organise a meeting in the coming week of Iraqi opposition leaders to start selecting an interim government to help Iraq rebuild.

‘‘The people attending will be from Iraq and there will also be attendees returning to their country,’’ Centcom spokesman Thorp said. (Reuters)