AS THE morning chill rose from the River Tigris in Iraq’s most ethnically mixed city, the units began assembling, pulling on white gloves and proudly adjusting military tunics.

Their ranks included grandfathers in ancient helmets, housewives trained to use machineguns, Beduin tribesmen, adolescent cadets marching behind their fathers, Kurds, Assyrian Christians and Sunni Muslims. Everyone got the day off work. All said they were marching in support of President Saddam Hussein and to challenge America and Britain.

“This is a shroud for Tony Blair!” said Ramadhan Pito Khanu, the Kurdish leader, as he thrust his white-gloved hand — his gloves were a pair of white socks — in the air.

The al-Quds Army — the Jerusalem Army — is a civilian defence unit set up by Saddam in the spring of 2001 to liberate Jerusalem from Israeli rule and, more immediately, to show solidarity with the Palestinian intifada. Since then it has attracted a third of the Iraqi population.

The army’s core is a paramilitary unit whose aim is to march to Jerusalem, but for now its rank and file are intent on defending Iraq. Yesterday was its first grand show of force. They were marching to commemorate the 12th anniversary since the last Gulf War; now they are focusing on the next one.

“When the Americans come, we will eat them like rabbits,” said Muntaha abdel abi-Habi, 45, a Ministry of Justice clerk who has undergone two eight-week military training sessions. Mrs abi-Habi came with her proud son, Muhammad, 13. He has undergone basic training; his mother knows how to fire a mortar.

By 10am tens of thousands were marching up the hill from Celebration Square towards Mosul’s old city walls. The units were divided by their work and their region. They marched in strict formation, knees high and right arms swinging. Some had elaborate outfits. The Kurds wore traditional shalushabets tied with colourful cummerbunds. The doctors wore smart uniforms with white scarves.

The factory workers wore dusty boiler suits.

A line of camouflaged technicians with mounted anti-aircraft weapons brought up the rear, but the highlight was a dozen shaheeds — suicide bombers — dressed in white shrouds. They had fake Semtex strapped to their chests and carried fake sticks of dynamite and grenades. They chanted and carried a banner proclaiming: “We are ready for martyrdom.”

Some of the warriors looked more enthusiastic than others, but all had photographs of Saddam pinned to their chests and many complained that Israel and oil were America’s chief reasons for wanting war.

The most vocal were the women, who marched in khakis with platform shoes, or in long black tops and skirts with headscarves. One unit was led by a tiny woman in combat gear wielding a sword.

An estimated quarter of Iraq’s women are volunteer fighters. They are trained to strip down a rifle and to throw a grenade. They have also learnt how to skin and disembowel a rabbit. It was a skill, one woman said, that would come in handy if she ran into any American soldiers.

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