It cost Bradford peace campaigner Karl Dallas and two human shield colleagues $900 to hire a taxi from Baghdad to Jordan in the hours before the first US missile strikes against Iraq.

They had to rip up their £4 bus tickets as all public transport was suddenly cancelled.

But the 72-year-old, who arrived back in Bradford late last night after a three-day journey, already has a visa for a return trip.

He wanted to stay but said he had been asked to return to Britain to spread the word that more than 200 people from 35 different countries are still in Iraq as a part of the Human Shield movement - and their numbers are growing.

He also has another mission - to recruit bands for a huge peace concert in a 20,000-seat stadium in Baghdad in, what he believes, will be a massive show of solidarity for the people of Iraq. Some bands - he won't name them at this stage - are already prepared to take part.

"If we can get half of the 20,000 stadium filled with people from Britain, America and France it will be a clear message to the United States and Britain."

Mr Dallas spent much of his month in Iraq at the Daura oil refinery outside Baghdad, which supplies fuel for power stations, water filtration plants, and hospital emergency generators. CNN has reported that the oil refinery was damaged during the first wave of attacks on Baghdad.

Today Mr Dallas said: "There was an air of quiet satisfaction among the people that this war will not be especially easy for the Allied forces although this might be proved to be wrong," he said. "What people don't seem to realise is that attacking them will only consolidate support of the regime and this is not the way."

Meanwhile, a special service of peace prayers will held at Bradford Cathedral on Sunday at 3pm, led by the Bishop of Bradford.