Heavy fighting broke out near a mosque on the outskirts of Baghdad on Thursday morning where it is rumoured Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein may be hiding, the BBC reported.

Pockets of resistance still dot the capital and explosions were heard in the city in the early hours. One US marine was killed in fighting on the banks of the Tigris River.

In the city, the euphoria over Saddam Hussein's downfall was replaced by fears about the future.

There is a sense of fear among the residents as there is no sign yet of an alternative authority after people associated with Saddam Hussein failed to show up on Wednesday morning.

Information Minister Mohammad Saeed al-Sahhaf, who briefed journalists daily about the developments since US attacked Iraq, was a notable absentee.

The US and UK are in a dilemma as there is no one to even sign the surrender terms on behalf of the Iraqi government.

Meanwhile, US planes trained their guns on Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town, which is where the infantry is expected to head for next.

The fate of the Iraqi president and that of his sons remains uncertain.