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. British Forces Try to Make Basra Safe To Distribute Aid .

. VOA News 25 Mar 2003, 18:34 UTC x x

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British forces say they are trying to make the southern Iraqi city of Basra safe so urgently needed humanitarian aid can be distributed there. 

More than 60 percent of the population remains without access to clean water since the start of hostilities last week. Engineers from the Red Cross are struggling to restore water supply to the city. The United Nations says tens of thousands of children are at risk of disease. 

Humanitarian aid has been waiting in Kuwait and is arriving in the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr, but ongoing ground fighting in southern Iraq is preventing its distribution. Basra is also seen as a possible aid corridor for the rest of Iraq. 

U.S. and British officials have promised that coalition forces will start delivering the humanitarian supplies this week. 

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the World Food Program, Trevor Rowe, tells the Associated Press the food agency will seek more than $1 billion to help feed Iraqi civilians for six months. 

The United Nations suspended the oil-for-food program for Iraq before the war, angering Iraqi officials. Iraq has continued to export oil, but exports fell last week to just 25 percent of pre-war levels. 

Diplomats at the United Nations are holding talks Tuesday on restarting the oil-for-food program as soon as possible. Under the program, the United Nations allows Iraq to sell oil to raise money for food, medicine and other humanitarian purposes. 

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. Bush Asks Congress for $75 Billion for War .

. VOA News 25 Mar 2003, 17:02 UTC x x

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U.S. President George W. Bush has asked Congress for nearly $75 billion in supplemental funds to pay for the Iraq war and the global war on terrorism for the next six months. 

The president said the U.S. led forces are steadily advancing toward Baghdad. He once again said we cannot know the duration of the war, but we do know its outcome; the Iraqi people will be free and the world will be more secure. 

More than 80 percent of the war budget will directly finance military operations in Iraq and the global war on terrorism. This includes the cost of transporting troops and equipment, fueling ships, aircraft and tanks and airlifting tons of supplies into the combat region. The president's war budget also includes funds for relief and reconstruction in Iraq, for helping U.S. allies in the Middle East impacted by the war and for increased domestic security measures in the United States. 

Mr. Bush said swift funding is crucial to the war's success, and cautioned Congress that what he termed "business as usual" is not acceptable. Presidential aides have said he would like to have the spending bill on his desk by April 11. 

On Wednesday, the president meets with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at his Camp David presidential retreat near Washington to discuss the fighting and the future of Iraq. Mr. Blair said he and the president would also talk about how to get America and Europe working together again as partners, not as rivals. 

Mr. Blair will travel to the United Nations in New York on Thursday for a meeting with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to discuss the humanitarian situation in Iraq. 

Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AFP.

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. Coalition Forces Advance, Meet Resistance .

. Scott Bobb Doha 25 Mar 2003, 10:05 UTC Listen to Scott Bobb's report from Doha (RealAudio)  Bobb report - Download 298k (RealAudio)  x x

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U.S. led coalition forces have advanced to positions 80 kilometers from Baghdad as coalition warplanes target installations in Baghdad of Iraq's elite Republican Guards. Despite the advance, the U.S. led forces continue to meet pockets of resistance in southern Iraq. 

Coalition officials say their forces control the southern city of Umm Qasr, whose ports are important to the humanitarian effort that will be necessary in the coming weeks. 

Reporters traveling with American troops Tuesday said coalition forces also control important installations at Nasiriya, including two bridges across the Euphrates River. It was in Nasiriya that coalition forces encountered the fiercest resistance since the beginning of the war in Iraq. 

British military spokesman Group Captain Al Lockwood says the resistance has not slowed the coalition drive toward Baghdad. "What television viewers are seeing are normally small skirmishes," he says. "The overall plan is on track and on time. We will deal with these small problems and small skirmishes as we come across them but it will not deflect us from our overall objectives." 

Arab foreign ministers, meanwhile, met in Cairo and called for the immediate withdrawal of the American and British forces from Iraq. The Arab League members adopted a resolution saying the attack on Iraq was in violation of the United Nations charter and in defiance of the international community. 

League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said the organization was taking the matter to the United Nations. "We, the Arab countries, are going to request a meeting of the Security Council in order to take a decision to stop the war and order withdrawal." 

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein appeared on television exhorting his troops to defend their country and Iraqi officials said they were sending supplies to southern Iraq so the people there could defend their country. 

Iraqi television broadcast pictures of two American pilots, whose attack helicopter was downed Monday outside Baghdad. 

Coalition Commander General Tommy Franks told reporters Monday evening the helicopter was one of several dozen attack helicopters sent into Iraq Monday, but he denied Iraqi claims that the craft was shot down by farmers. 

Coalition forces are also conducting search and rescue operations for two British soldiers who went missing Sunday after an ambush on their convoy. And British officials announced Tuesday that two British soldiers have been killed in southern Iraq, the first British combat casualties of the six-day old war. 

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. Coalition Forces Extend Operations in Afghanistan .

. Jim Teeple Kabul 25 Mar 2003, 13:58 UTC Listen to Jim Teeple's report (RealAudio)  Teeple report - Download 241k (RealAudio)  x x

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AP
US soldier with weapon cache discovered on March 22,2003

Coalition forces in Afghanistan have expanded operation Valiant Strike in the southern part of the country. 

Coalition forces using helicopter gunships launched a dawn air assault in the southern Samighar mountains in Kandahar province.

 On Monday, coalition forces recovered more than 170 rocket-propelled grenades, as well as mines and mortar rounds, the third such weapons cache discovered in the area since operation Valiant Strike began.

 Colonel Roger King, the spokesman for coalition forces in Afghanistan, says some suspected opposition fighters have been detained. 

"A total of four men have been detained since operation Valiant Strike began last Thursday," he said. "A portion of the cache of weapons was transported to Kandahar air base. It will be retained for further use by the Afghan national army."

 Elsewhere, a U.S. patrol at the Shkin coalition base in eastern Paktika province came under fire just after midnight Monday. No coalition soldiers were reported injured in the incident.

 A number of Taleban and al-Qaida operatives are thought to be active in the remote area, about 140 kilometers east of Kandahar city.

 Operation Valiant Strike was launched the same day as military attacks against Iraq, but coalition forces say the timing was coincidental. Colonel Roger King says the operation is being seen as a sign of commitment to Afghanistan by coalition forces.

 "Civil affairs personnel who are operating with Task Force Devil reported that villagers were telling them over the weekend that operation Valiant Strike was being taken as proof that the coalition will not leave Afghanistan because of operations in Iraq," said Colonel King.

 Colonel King also says he thinks a series of rocket attacks against coalition forces last week were connected to the launch of military strikes against Iraq. But he says the attacks caused no damage and have not affected coalition activities.

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. Coalition Troops Continue to Press Toward Baghdad .

. Jim Malone Washington 25 Mar 2003, 17:23 UTC Listen to Jim Malone's report (RealAudio)  Malone report - Download 645k (RealAudio)  x x

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AP
4th Battalion 64th Armor Regiment, part of the 3rd Infantry Division near Karbala

U.S.-led forces continue to press their advance toward Baghdad, battling Iraqi Republican Guard troops as well as fierce sandstorms in central Iraq. In Washington, President George W. Bush said there is no doubt about the outcome of the war. 

U.S. and British warplanes pounded Republican Guard positions on the outskirts of Baghdad Tuesday as coalition forces tried to soften up Iraqi resistance to the south and west of the capital.
 
 

AP
US Army 3rd Infantry Division troops in a sandstorm near Karbala

U.S.-led forces have moved to within 90 kilometers of Baghdad. U.S. Air Force General Victor Renuart told reporters in Qatar that coalition troops are battling the weather as well as various elements of the Iraqi army and militia.
 
 

General Victor Renuart

"Our land forces continue to progress northward," he said. "We have had a few engagements over the past 24 hours in the vicinity of Nasiriyah and Basra and, as you know, have suffered some casualties. But we have also inflicted more [casualties] on the enemy and destroyed a number of their tanks, artillery pieces and troops formations. The bottom line is we are on track and will deal with these irregular and regular forces wherever we find them."

 In Washington, President Bush went to the Pentagon for a war briefing by senior U.S. military officials. He says coalition forces are making "a steady advance" and "good progress".
 
 

George Bush

"We cannot know the duration of this war, yet we know its outcome. We will prevail," the president predicted. "The Iraqi regime will be disarmed, the Iraqi regime will be ended, the Iraqi people will be free and our world will be more secure and peaceful."

 The president is asking Congress for nearly $75 billion in emergency funds to help pay for the war and rebuilding afterward.

 On the battlefield, the sandstorms in central Iraq are making the push northward difficult. 

"It's hard. I mean, like he said, sand gets in your eyes, it is hard to breathe, you know," said Private Steven Herbstreith, who is with the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division in central Iraq. "We are pushing through it. That is what we get paid to do. That is why we are here."

 The head of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, says the toughest battles still lie ahead as coalition forces prepare to face off against Republican Guard units near Baghdad.
 
 

"I think the U.S. Army wants to send a clear message to the rest of the Republican Guard forces out there that if we can neutralize one of these divisions, the others will get the message that maybe they should lay down their arms and not fight," said VOA correspondent Alisha Ryu, with U.S. forces in central Iraq as they prepare for a fierce battle with the Republican Guard.

 As coalition forces get closer to Baghdad, there are growing fears that the Iraqi regime could order chemical attacks in a last-ditch effort to stop the advance.

 U.S. Army Major Daniel Goodale-Porter says battle planners believe the chemical attacks could come once coalition forces draw to within about 50 kilometers of Baghdad.

 "The 'Red Line' is a physical line that we draw on the map that we think Saddam Hussein and his folks are going to feel pressured enough to actually use weapons of mass destruction," he said.
 
 

AP
Tony Blair

In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told a news conference that the war is progressing as planned and that Iraqi resistance will eventually crumble. 

"But nobody, least of all the forces loyal to Saddam, should be in any doubt that the resistance will be broken down and that the goals of the coalition forces will be met," he said.

 In southern Iraq, several thousand U.S. Marines crossed the Euphrates River after intense fighting near the town of Nasiriya.
 
 

AP
A British Army AS90 engages Iraqi positions outside Basra

Further south, British military officials declared the city of Basra a military target after Iraqi forces took up positions among civilians.

 The commander of British forces in the Persian Gulf, Air Marshal Brian Burridge, says his troops have encountered stiff resistance from militias loyal to Saddam Hussein.

 "These are bunches of determined men who will fight hard because they have no future in the new Iraq," he said.

 British forces want to secure Basra for the delivery of badly needed humanitarian aid. 

Diplomats at the United Nations will discuss restarting the Iraqi oil-for-food program in New York Tuesday.

 U.S. military officials in Qatar say they are building camps for Iraqi prisoners of war and that Red Cross officials will have full access to them. They also called on the Iraqi military to do the same for American prisoners of war.

 Surrendering Iraqi troops "looked very tired, very worn out," said VOA-TV's Deborah Block, traveling with U.S. Marine units in southern Iraq. "And I could tell by the way they were grouped that they were most likely soldiers who had given up."

 Finally, in Baghdad Tuesday, Iraq's vice president denounced Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo for not taking a tougher stance against the U.S.-led invasion.

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. Nigerian Army Tries to Restore Calm Amid Ethnic Unrest in Oil Rich Region .

. Luis Ramirez Abidjan 25 Mar 2003, 17:51 UTC Listen to Luis Ramirez's Report (RealAudio)  Ramirez Report - Download 190k (RealAudio)  x x

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In Nigeria, the army is trying to restore order following ethnic unrest that has disrupted oil production in the Niger River delta. 

Nigerian army officials say they have cordoned off much of the area where fighting between ethnic Ijaws and army troops has prompted foreign oil companies to halt operations. 

Ijaw militants are threatening to attack oil facilities to press their demand greater political representation. 

The fighting erupted earlier this month, when Ijaws attacked oil facilities to protest what they said was the government's plan to redraw electoral districts to the Ijaws' disadvantage. 

Ijaws clashed with government soldiers and later with members of a rival ethnic group, the Itsekeri, whom some Ijaws accuse of trying to monopolize political power in the region. 

The government of President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is up for reelection next month, dispatched hundreds of troops to quell the violence. 

On Tuesday, soldiers set up roadblocks to prevent militants from entering the oil producing areas around the southern city of Warri. Navy patrol boats were also blocking access via the area's swamps. 

Nigeria is the world's sixth largest producer of oil. The shutdown of facilities caused by the unrest has cut production by a third, raising fears that world oil prices, already high due to the war in Iraq, may continue to climb. 

It is also causing concern about stability in the country in the run-up to general elections scheduled for next month. 

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. Pneumonia Travel Advisory Could Hurt Asian Economies .

. Katherine Maria Hong Kong 25 Mar 2003, 15:47 UTC Listen to Katherine Maria's Report (RealAudio)  Maria Report - Download 339k (RealAudio)  x x

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The World Health Organization said it may issue a much more stringent travel advisory on Asian cities with deadly pneumonia outbreaks. A tougher warning could seriously hurt the Asian economy.

 World Health Organization officials say international travel does not need to be disrupted to contain the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, known as SARS.
 
 

AP
Health workers in Hong Kong

But if the disease, which can cause a severe form of pneumonia, continues to spread, the U.N. agency will toughen its warnings. The agency cannot almost all of them in Asia, and more than 15 have died. The worst hit cities are Hong Kong, Singapore and Hanoi.

 WHO already has warned that those who have traveled to areas hit by SARS should seek immediate help if they develop high fevers, severe flu-like symptoms and signs of pneumonia. The agency recommends that airlines watch for passengers with such symptoms. 

"We will review the data. If there is any evidence to modify it, we will modify the advisory," said Dick Thompson, a WHO spokesman. 

Singapore this week has quarantined at least 740 people who may have been exposed to SARS. The country has reported 65 SARS cases.

 The disease may first have appeared a few months ago in southern China, where at least 300 people developed symptoms similar to those seen in SARS. WHO officials are in China studying the outbreak.

 The WHO said Hong Kong is its biggest concern because of the daily rise in the number of cases. Almost 290 people have come down with SARS in Hong Kong. At least 10 have died.

 The exact cause of the disease is not known. Researchers in Hong Kong, Europe, Australia and the United States have spotted several possible causes.

 Until recently, officials said most SARS patients had a direct link to a handful of original patients in Hong Kong.

 Liu Shao-Haei, an official with Hong Kong's Department of Health, said the government now is concerned SARS has spread to the wider community. "I think we have had cases in the community. It is alarming, very alarming," Mr. Liu said. 

Already, concerns about SARS have cut sharply into Asia's tourism industry, adding to the damage done by fears linked to the war in Iraq. Hotels and airlines around the region are reporting a drop in bookings. In Hong Kong, some international rugby teams have withdrawn from the Rugby Sevens tournament, which begins Friday. The event normally draws several-thousand tourists.

 A more stringent travel warning could be devastating to many Asian economies, particularly Singapore and Hong Kong, which are regional business and travel hubs. Many of the world's largest companies have their regional headquarters in Singapore and Hong Kong, and would find it difficult to do business if travel were restricted. 

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. Sandstorms Hold Up US-Led Advance on Baghdad .

. VOA News 25 Mar 2003, 16:54 UTC x x

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Powerful sandstorms across Iraq have forced U.S. and British ground troops to halt their advance toward Baghdad, at least temporarily.

 Witnesses say the sandstorms, which are said to be of exceptional strength, have reduced visibility to a few meters and made it difficult for vehicles and helicopters to move about safely.

 However, U.S. and British warplanes that can fly above the dust and sand have continued to bomb positions of Iraq's elite Republican Guard on the southern approaches to Baghdad.
 
 

US Air Force General Renuart

A spokesman for the U.S. military's Central Command, Major General Victor Renuart, says U.S. and British aircraft will fly 1,400 missions over Iraq Tuesday, employing what he called "all-weather weapons."

 British Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking to reporters in London, said coalition troops are now in the city of Karbala, 90 kilometers south of Baghdad.
 
 

Tony Blair

In a statement read today on Iraqi television, Saddam Hussein appealed to Iraqi tribes to attack the invading U.S. and British forces without waiting for orders.

 The head of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, says he believes the toughest fighting of the war is still ahead.

 In southern Iraq, several thousand U.S. Marines have crossed bridges over the Euphrates river, after several days of intense fighting around Nasiriyah. The Marines encountered more resistance Tuesday as they resumed their push toward Baghdad.

Iraq took some fresh casualties, with reporters saying they saw the bodies of at least 30 Iraqis who were apparently killed in an airstrike. 

Meanwhile, British forces have officially declared Iraq's second largest city, Basra, a military target after Iraqi units moved into the city with tanks and heavy guns and took up position among civilians. U.S. and British military planners had been hoping Iraqi forces in the mainly Shi'ite Muslim city would give up without a fight.

 British officers also say their troops have finally crushed Iraqi resistance in the port city of Umm Qasr, making it safe for the coalition to ship in basic provisions and humanitarian aid. But British forces claimed to have control of the city last weekend, only to be hit by ambushes from Iraqi troops and militiamen.
 
 

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.

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. Saudi Arabia Advances Iraq Peace Proposal .

. VOA News 25 Mar 2003, 16:05 UTC x x

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Saudi Arabia says it has proposed a peace plan to end the U.S.-led war in Iraq. 

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told reporters in the Saudi capital Tuesday that Riyadh has contacted Washington and Baghdad and is waiting for a response to its proposal. 

He gave no details of the plan, nor did he say when Saudi Arabia had proposed it, but he did say that it has not been turned down. 

The Saudi announcement follows a denunciation earlier Tuesday by Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan of Arab foreign ministers for not taking a strong enough stance against the U.S.-led invasion in Iraq. 

Mr. Ramadan said Monday's Arab League resolution condemning what the League termed aggression against Iraq and demanding the immediate pull-out of U.S. and British forces did not go far enough. He suggested that the resolution should have called for a suspension of Arab oil exports to coalition countries. 

The 22 member League also called for an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting on Iraq. 

The final statement called on all Arab states not to take part in any military action against Iraq, but it stopped short of prohibiting states from aiding U.S. led forces. Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait are hosting U.S. and British troops, planes and warships, and Saudi Arabia is quietly aiding the U.S. war effort. 

In Damascus Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of the Syrian capital, shouting angry statements at President Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Arab leaders who have lent their assistance to the U.S.-led war. 

Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.

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. US Achieving Objectives in Iraq, says Top Commander .

. Roger Wilkison Doha 24 Mar 2003, 19:59 UTC Listen to Roger Wilkison's report (RealAudio)  Wilkison report - Download 308k (RealAudio)  x x

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AP
Tommy Franks

The top U.S. commander in the Gulf says allied forces have made rapid progress in achieving their objectives in Iraq. General Tommy Franks says his forces have attacked elite Republican Guard contingents around Baghdad. 

General Franks appeared at the daily briefing to counter the impression that the resistance coalition forces encountered a day earlier, when they came under heavy fire and suffered casualties, was unexpected.

 General Franks said his troops are making rapid and, in some cases, dramatic progress, but he admitted that they are also facing what he called "sporadic resistance".

 He cited what he called a successful attack carried out by Apache helicopters on Republican Guard positions near Baghdad. Thirty to forty allied aircraft took part in the attack, but one failed to return to base. That was apparently the Apache that was later shown on Iraqi television parked in a field near the town of Kerbala, south of Baghdad. There was no word of the fate of the crew. General Franks said the two men are listed as missing in action.

 The allied commander says Iraq's command and control network has been weakened because some Iraqi units are ignoring orders from the leadership. But he said he expects mopping up operations in southern Iraq to continue for some time to come.

 Although the coalition says it has control of vital facilities in and around the southern cities of Basra and Umm Qasr, its rear guard there is still being harassed by Fedayeen militia and Republican Guard units.

 The general says the tenacious resistance coalition forces have encountered from some Iraqi elements should not be a surprise.

 "There are people in the Iraqi army, whether Special Republican Guard or Fedayeen, who have a lot of allegiance to this regime…and we have had some terrific firefights with some of these," he said. "Not unexpected, and I think our people are prepared to fight this war."

 With allied combat casualties now in double figures, General Franks said he expects tough days ahead on the battlefield.

 "I think that anyone in my profession involved in a war fight will expect that we will see casualties in a war, and, so, yes, I expect that we will see casualties in the days ahead," he said. General Franks says allied forces have captured about 3,000 prisoners of war. He says most Iraqi soldiers in the path of the allied assault have simply abandoned their weapons and gone home. 

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. US Envoy Fails to Reach Agreement to Keep Turkish Troops Out of Iraq .

. VOA News 25 Mar 2003, 14:53 UTC x x

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A U.S. envoy has failed again to reach agreement with Turkey on its plan to send more troops into Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. 

Washington and the European Union oppose any such move. 

The U.S. envoy in Ankara Zalmay Khalilzad says it is a difficult and complicated issue. He has been holding talks with Turkish officials since Monday. 

Turkey told the European Union Tuesday its forces are massed along the border with Iraq for humanitarian reasons and that it has no intention of taking military action. 

Kurds in northern Iraq have been running their own affairs since the end of the first Gulf War in 1991, and they have threatened to fight any Turkish incursion into their semi-autonomous region. 

Turkey has had several thousand troops in northern Iraq since the late 1990s, but wants to send more to avert a possible refugee crisis. Turkey also fears the end of Saddam Hussein's government could lead to the creation of an independent Kurdish state. 

Kurdish rebels fought a 15 year war for autonomy in southeastern Turkey. Kurds say an independent Kurdistan would include parts of Turkey as promised in a 1920 treaty that followed World War I. 

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. US Ground Forces Advance Across Euphrates River .

. Alisha Ryu Central Iraq 25 Mar 2003, 16:12 UTC Listen to Alisha Ryu's report (RealAudio)  Ryu report - Download 284k (RealAudio)  x x

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AP
US Army 3rd Infantry Division troops in a sandstorm near Karbala

U.S. ground forces in Iraq have crossed the Euphrates River, entering an area that leads directly to the capital, Baghdad. But U.S. military commanders say the troops could also be within striking distance of Saddam Hussein's artillery shells, which they fear could be filled with deadly chemicals.

 The 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division crossed the Euphrates River. M-1 tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles came under fire from Iraqi forces as they rumbled across the desert and over the bridge. U.S. Air Force A-10 Ground Attack aircraft called "Warthogs" provided the "3-7" with close air support.

 Iraqi forces destroyed the bridge with explosives shortly after another 3rd Infantry Division crossed over. 

But as U.S. military units move closer to Baghdad, commanders are growing increasingly concerned that Iraq could use chemical weapons against U.S. troops.

 U.S. Army 5th Corps chemical officer Major Daniel Goodale-Porter said battle planners believe Saddam Hussein has in place what they are calling "The Red Line."

 "The Red Line is a physical line that we draw on the map that we think Saddam Hussein and his folks are going to feel pressured enough to actually use weapons of mass destruction," he said.

 The line is a circle, an area roughly 50 kilometers outside the capital. The thinking at this forward Army Command Center is that as soon as U.S. troops cross that line, Saddam Hussein could order his troops to fire chemical weapons. Some places within the circle are heavily populated.

 Major Goodale-Porter says the U.S. military concern about chemical warfare extends beyond its troops. 

"Civilians do not have any protective equipment, they are not trained, they do not know how to act, so there is a potential for a lot of civilian casualties," he said.

 The latest intelligence shows some units of Saddam Hussein's elite Republican Guards moving heavy rocket artillery, and reinforcing fighting positions in areas southwest of Baghdad. 

U.S. military commanders say the movement of artillery indicates that troops may already be in place. The troops are most likely from the Medina Unit of the Republican Guard, one of the main targets for the U.S. military in the campaign to remove Saddam Hussein from power. 

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. Uprising reported in Basra .

. Wednesday, 26 March, 2003, 02:18 GMT x x

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Why Basra matters

British forces on the outskirts of Basra have reported that a violent civilian uprising against Saddam Hussein's regime has begun in the southern Iraqi city.

Major General Peter Wall, British Chief of Staff at Allied Central Command in Qatar, confirmed that it appeared an uprising had taken place, but that it was in its infancy and British troops were "keen to exploit its potential".

According to military intelligence officials, Iraqi troops in the city turned mortar fire on their own civilians in an attempt to crush the unrest, but Baghdad denies any revolt has occurred.

Two British soldiers from the Queen's Royal Lancers were killed and two seriously injured when their Challenger tank was hit in a "friendly fire" incident during fighting early on Tuesday on the outskirts of Basra.

From the outskirts of Basra, British troops have bombarded Iraqi mortar positions in the city in an effort to support the uprising, according to journalist Richard Gaisford, who is with British forces just outside.

He said that the British troops were using a system of radar tracking to pinpoint and then attack the mortar positions.

IRAQ CAMPAIGN  Map: Military operations  Iraq's Republican Guard

Coalition planes have also dropped two very large bombs on the Baath Party headquarters in the city, which is reported to have been reduced to rubble.

The main Shia Iraqi opposition group, the Iran-based Supreme Assembly for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which claims connections in the city said a revolt was taking place. 

There have been multiple exchanges of fire between Iraqi forces on outskirts of Basra and British troops throughout the day. 

British military spokesman Colonel Chris Vernon, reported that two British tank soldiers had been killed during the fighting.

Earlier Colonel Vernon told the BBC that Iraqi forces were using human shields to defend Basra. 

Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed al-Sahhaf denied that any revolt had taken place in Basra.

"The situation is stable. Resistance is continuing and we are teaching them more lessons," he told Qatar-based al-Jazeera television. 

The BBC's Tim Franks who is on the Iraq-Kuwait border, says that if reports of the uprising are true, this is what the British forces had hoped for.

"This is just the sort of encouraging indication we have been looking for... I think the uprising may in a sense put the boot on the other foot," Major General Wall said.

Humanitarian crisis

Until now, there has been no evidence of any support for British and American forces inside Basra.

Rather, the coalition forces believed that around 1,000 die-hard Saddam Hussein supporters were based in the city and keeping the population in check, our correspondent says.

The United Nations has warned of a potential humanitarian crisis in Iraq's second city, which is home to about 1.5 million people.

HAVE YOUR SAY  The world needs to be changed, its order disrupted and its focus realigned to a new and better way of living. We can make that sacrifice now and pay a small price or we can avoid that responsibility and pay a big price later Ted Hilts, Canada  Lasting peace cannot be achieved by compromising fundamental social values that build peace in order to appease evil regimes  Peggy, Canada  A world built up of compromises designed to avoid war yields in the long term a collapse in peace. Anonymous We have created an horrific problem for the whole world  James Kelly, UK  Note: the first 3 opinions were included by this web site whereas the BBC chose to provide a negative perspective. We thought a balance was required. Read more of your comments

Some 100,000 children are at risk of disease as fighting there has continued for four days, disrupting supplies of drinking water, a UN spokesman said.

A UK naval ship loaded up in Kuwait with stocks of food, water and other supplies is still waiting to dock in the nearby Iraqi port of Umm Qasr as work continues to clear mines from the sea there.

The advance of coalition forces has also been hampered by fierce sandstorms - BBC correspondents travelling with coalition troops say units have been halted, with visibility reduced to just a few metres. 

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. Civilian Uprising Reported in Basra .

. Scott Bobb Doha 26 Mar 2003, 11:29 UTC