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But at An Nasiriyah -- on the Euphrates River 233 miles southeast of Baghdad, near the ancient town of Ur, birthplace of the patriarch Abraham -- the allied juggernaut sustained its worst casualties so far.
And in the face of that resistance, Marines officials said they expected to sidestep An Nasiriyah rather than fight to capture it -- the same strategy they employed in Basra.
American authorities detailed two bloody battles:
-- Marines encountered Iraqi troops who appeared to be surrendering. Instead, they attacked -- the start of a "very sharp engagement," said Lt. Col. John Abizaid, deputy commander of the Central Command.
These were, Abizaid said, a combination of regular and irregular forces -- in fact, he said, it was one of the few times regular Iraqi soldiers have fought, instead of surrendering or deserting.
In the end, the Americans triumphed, knocking out eight tanks, some anti-aircraft batteries, some artillery and infantry, Abizaid said. But victory came at a cost: as many as nine dead, and an undisclosed number of wounded.
An Nasiriyah was a hotbed of rebellion against Saddam Hussein in the Shiite Muslim rebellion that followed the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The Americans may have run into Saddam loyalists based there to keep a lid on the Shiites, along with some Republican Guard units.
The battles underscored the risks of the mission in Iraq, but U.S. military leaders insisted that they would not slow the drive to Baghdad.
Officials would not say when they expected to arrive at the capital city. "We'll arrive in the vicinity of Baghdad soon, and I prefer to leave it at that," Abizaid said.
Long columns of Marines and their equipment advanced along the main road from Kuwaiti border to An Nasiriyah, where units were crossing the Euphrates.
Part of the 3rd Infantry Division had reached the area of the Shiite holy city of Najaf -- further ahead from An Nasiriyah in the approach to Baghdad -- after a 230-mile, 40-hour sprint through the desert, killing 100 machinegun-toting militiamen along the way.
When more than 30 Iraqi armored vehicles were spotted heading toward the 2nd Brigade's positions, air support was called in; A-10s and B-52s hammered the Iraqis, and the Army didn't have to fire a shot.
Allied aircraft had flown more than 6,000 sorties, softening resistance in advance of the ground war and focusing on Saddam's elite Republican Guard.
Pilots who hit Baghdad on Sunday said ground fire was lighter than expected.
"It was less than the first night," said Lt. j.g. Scott Worthington, 25, an F/A-18 Hornet pilot from Seattle, Wash., and assigned to Strike-Fighter Squadron 151. "I'd say tonight was less intense. Not nearly as much."
But at An Nasiriyah -- on the Euphrates River 233 miles southeast of Baghdad, near the ancient town of Ur, birthplace of the patriarch Abraham -- the allied juggernaut sustained its worst casualties so far.
And in the face of that resistance, Marines officials said they expected to sidestep An Nasiriyah rather than fight to capture it -- the same strategy they employed in Basra.
American authorities detailed two bloody battles:
-- Marines encountered Iraqi troops who appeared to be surrendering. Instead, they attacked -- the start of a "very sharp engagement," said Lt. Col. John Abizaid, deputy commander of the Central Command.
These were, Abizaid said, a combination of regular and irregular forces -- in fact, he said, it was one of the few times regular Iraqi soldiers have fought, instead of surrendering or deserting.
In the end, the Americans triumphed, knocking out eight tanks, some anti-aircraft batteries, some artillery and infantry, Abizaid said. But victory came at a cost: as many as nine dead, and an undisclosed number of wounded.
An Nasiriyah was a hotbed of rebellion against Saddam Hussein in the Shiite Muslim rebellion that followed the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The Americans may have run into Saddam loyalists based there to keep a lid on the Shiites, along with some Republican Guard units.
The battles underscored the risks of the mission in Iraq, but U.S. military leaders insisted that they would not slow the drive to Baghdad.
Officials would not say when they expected to arrive at the capital city. "We'll arrive in the vicinity of Baghdad soon, and I prefer to leave it at that," Abizaid said.
Long columns of Marines and their equipment advanced along the main road from Kuwaiti border to An Nasiriyah, where units were crossing the Euphrates.
Part of the 3rd Infantry Division had reached the area of the Shiite holy city of Najaf -- further ahead from An Nasiriyah in the approach to Baghdad -- after a 230-mile, 40-hour sprint through the desert, killing 100 machinegun-toting militiamen along the way.
When more than 30 Iraqi armored vehicles were spotted heading toward the 2nd Brigade's positions, air support was called in; A-10s and B-52s hammered the Iraqis, and the Army didn't have to fire a shot.
Allied aircraft had flown more than 6,000 sorties, softening resistance in advance of the ground war and focusing on Saddam's elite Republican Guard.
Pilots who hit Baghdad on Sunday said ground fire was lighter than expected.
"It was less than the first night," said Lt. j.g. Scott Worthington, 25, an F/A-18 Hornet pilot from Seattle, Wash., and assigned to Strike-Fighter Squadron 151. "I'd say tonight was less intense. Not nearly as much."
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