An international news agency today reported that President Saddam Hussein's rule has collapsed as jubilant Iraqis welcomed advancing US forces into the capital with flowers while looters attacked symbols of his power.

Reuters

said chaos erupted in the city of five million as people torched official buildings, looting anything they could from air-conditioning units to flowers.

"People, if you o­nly knew what this man did to Iraq," yelled an old man standing in the road, thrashing at a torn portrait of Saddam with his shoe. "He killed our youth, he killed millions."

Joyful crowds threw flowers and cheered as US marines drove into the city from the eastern suburb of Saddam City, home to about two million impoverished Shiite Muslims.

"I believe we are o­n the last leg," marine Colonel John Toolan told Reuters correspondent Sean Maguire.

"No more Saddam Hussein," chanted o­ne group, waving to troops as they passed. "We love you, we love you,".

'Thank you Bush'

According to the report, some Shiites, who are part of a majority community largely hostile to Saddam's Sunni-led Baathist government, beat their chests as they do during the Shiite religious festival of Ashoura.

It was also reported that cheering crowds entered the United.Nations headquarters in the Canal Hotel and drove off in UN cars. The building had housed UN aid workers as well as arms inspectors, who were withdrawn before the war began o­n March 20.

US troops also stood by as looters raided sports shops around the bombed headquarters of the Iraqi Olympic Committee, headed by Saddam's elder son Uday.

Elsewhere, the report said an Iraqi waving a rifle shouted: "We are Americans, we are USA." Another screamed: "Thank you Mr. Bush."