Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and his generals are hiding in a desert fortress about 100 kilometers from his hometown Tikrit, preparing for a final bloody showdown, said a British daily today.

The Sun

said that Saddam has now turned Al Hawijah into his last stronghold.

"Kurdish police were massacred when they ventured into the village a day after he arrived. Survivors said the area was now overrun with foreign Arabs loyal to Saddam," added the report.