Fine dust from the storm, which is expected to continue for several days, has seeped into homes, depositing a thin film of yellow powder.

"People are afraid of storms. They do not want to leave their homes and they prevent their children from attending school," an official at an emergency department of a hospital in Baghdad said.

With traffic accidents reportedly rising due to the lack of visibility, traffic police Colonel Walid Ammar went on state television urging people to drive slowly.

Flights into and out of Baghdad have been cancelled, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.

"I am on leave and I do not have much time," said Paul Benson, a security guard with a foreign company said who has been stuck at the airport since Tuesday.

"I have already spent two days at the airport but right now I am thinking of getting to Jordan as from there everything is possible."

Another passenger, Sandy Mitchell, was also frustrated.

"This sucks," she said, "but you can't do anything about a dust storm."

For Baghdadis, the storm was yet another peril in the ongoing struggle of daily life in the war-ravaged capital.

"This may be a divine retribution, but we already had a lot and this is enough," said Haitham, a trader, who did not give his full name.

As summer approaches, a dust storm is the last thing Baghdadis want, in addition to the lack of regular electricity and water supplies.

"These sand storms also cause asthma and allergies," Doctor Mohammed Abdel Baki said, adding there had been an increase in cases since last month.

Meanwhile, militants were reportedly taking advantage of the storm and fighting security forces in and around Baghdad's Sadr City, the bastion of Mahdi Army militia of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

The storm has largely grounded the US helicopters and drones that have normally been tracking these fighters during the fierce battles of the past few weeks.

The US military refused to specify the measures taken to overcome difficulties causes by the bad weather, but said ground operations were not disrupted.

"Regardless of the weather, that doesn't impact our requirement or objective to protect the people of Baghdad," Lieutenant Colonel Steven Stover said.

"We will kill or capture the enemy, who continues to display a complete and utter lack of concern for the welfare and wellbeing of the Iraqi people."

"Whenever (a militant) engages a US patrol or outpost with small-arms fire ... he is either killed, wounded or flees like the mangy cur they represent."

Under the cover of the dust, dozens of rockets and mortar rounds have been fired since Tuesday at the Green Zone, the seat of Iraqi government and the US embassy.

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