Dr Fadel Hussain Alwan is a worried man.

"My family is in Baghdad and only yesterday they bombed Al Qazra, my locality, in Baghdad," he said. "Luckily, no one is hurt in my family, but a lot of other civilians have died."

Alwan, a businessman, has been in and out of Mumbai from Baghdad for the last 10 years and is married to an Indian. "My brothers, parents and all cousins are based in Baghdad," he said. "They have decided to fight the invading forces by sending their womenfolk to Al Rashdiya, 50km from Baghdad. We have our ancestral home there. Our strategy is to shift the women, sick people and children over there till the war gets over."

Asked whether his family supports President Saddam Hussein, Dr Alwan said, "My family is in business and we don't believe in fighting. But what makes all of us angry is the American behaviour. They are proving to be invaders rather than liberators."

Alwan said the behaviour of the Americans makes Iraqis believe that they are there only for the oil. "They are not interested in Iraqi civilians," he said. "And therefore we are all ready to fight and die. We just want these invading forces to go away. The common Iraqis will never support them."

Not far away from the home of Alwan lives Fareed Al-Muhandis who too is concerned about his parents in Baghdad. "So far I am in regular touch with them," he said, "but I am not sure how long these phone lines will work. The Americans and British are even bombarding Iraqi communication system. Common Iraqis are not able to call and find out the well-being of their relatives."

Muhandis is not an Iraqi citizen. He took up Indian citizenship three years ago after living in India for more than 20 years. He had first come to India in 1978 to study at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

Referring to the American bombing of a marketplace in Baghdad in which several civilians were killed, Muhandis recalled, "Their reply was sorry. That's it. They cannot win the hearts of the Iraqi people by saying sorry, and that too after this inhuman act."

Alwan said he thought Americans were clever, but they were behaving like fools. "They have completely misjudged the mood of the Iraqi people," he said. "They had no idea of the ground situation. They just walked into this war without preparation and are trapped now."

Both Muhandis and Alwan are happy that the Indian government and the people at large are supporting the Iraqi regime and have openly opposed the invasion of their country.

Asked how long the war was likely to last, the former said, "I doubt Baghdad will ever fall. And even if it does, the people won't welcome the new ruler. They will always feel that puppets are ruling our country whereas the real rulers will be the Americans. As far as Saddam is concerned, I feel that he will die a hero's death and be remembered as a martyr who fought to defend our country."