Coalition Jets Briefly Disable Iraq's State-Run TV

WASHINGTON -- U.S. and British aircraft bombed Iraqi state-run television at about dawn Wednesday Baghdad time, the U.S. military said.

A series of explosions along with the sound of low flying aircraft was heard early Wednesday, and Iraqi Satellite TV's signal went off the air for a few hours before it was restored; regular broadcasts started on schedule after daybreak.

The 24-hour station, which is operated by Saddam Hussein's regime, was the object of heavy criticism from U.S. and Red Cross officials after footage of captured American soldiers, some dead, was shown this weekend on its air.

Pentagon: U.S. Defensive Action Kills Up To 500

U.S. troops killed between 150 and 500 Iraqi soldiers after being attacked in central Iraq, Pentagon officials said Tuesday.

A senior U.S. military official told The Associated Press that no U.S. casualties have been reported but warned that few details are available. He said elements of the U.S. Army's 7th Cavalry Regiment were east of An Najaf, which is just south of Baghdad, when they suddenly came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades.

The official said the Iraqis were on foot and it was not clear whether they were from regular army units, paramilitary forces or Saddam's Republican Guard.

It is unclear what weaponry the Americans used. The 7th Cavalry is part of the Army force driving toward Baghdad. Some elements of the force are farther north, near Karbala.

According to broadcast reports, the figure is closer to 300 dead Iraqi troops.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said U.S. intelligence suggests the closer ground troops get to Baghdad the greater the chance they will face chemical weapons.

Earlier, a British commander said a civilian uprising against Saddam's forces began Tuesday in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, although the scope of the rebellion was unclear.

British forces report they're not yet able to secure the key southern city, which is home to 1.3 million people. And a British military spokesman said the troops won't fire into the city for fear of hitting civilians.

Maj. Gen. Peter Wall said his forces don't know what brought people into the streets of Basra or how many there are, adding only that British troops are seeing Iraqis "being less compliant with the regime than they are normally."

"This could be the beginning of something," Wall said.

U.S. military officials have said they cannot confirm reports of the uprising.

The first reports of the rebellion against Saddam's ultra-loyal Baath Party soldiers came from British media, which reported that the Baath Party soldiers are firing mortars at anti-Saddam civilians.

A British reporter, Richard Gaisford, said coalition forces are firing missiles at the Baath Party forces, adding that British troops, with the help of tanks and armored vehicles, are gathering on the outskirts of the city.

Gaisford said the troops are getting ready to enter the city to support the anti-Saddam elements. U.S. military officials have said they are aware of the reports but can't confirm them.

Meanwhile, two British soldiers died Tuesday in a friendly fire incident near Basra, a British military commander confirmed.

He said the two men died when their tank was mistakenly targeted by another British tank crew.

Their deaths bring to 20 the number of British troops killed in the war. Two died when a U.S. Patriot missile shot their plane down, two died in combat and 14 died in two helicopter accidents.

The battle for Basra continued Tuesday as allied troops encountered unexpectedly tough resistance from Iraqi fighters.

British forces, which have divisions all around the city, have declared parts of Basra "military targets." They will take on militia fighters preventing them from securing the city, an apparent change of strategy after stating earlier they wanted to avoid street-to-street fighting.

A British military spokesman said the targets include regime and military infrastructure in the city.

In a separate attack on militiamen loyal to Saddam, members of Britain's 7th Armored Brigade captured a member of the Baath Party in nearby Az Zubayr on Monday night.

A soldier with another British unit was killed late Monday in Az Zubayr. It was the second combat death for Britain. (Full Story.)

The continued fighting is delaying the flow of food and medicine to the besieged southern city. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and others have warned of a possible humanitarian crisis there. (Full Story)

The International Red Cross said it has started repairing a damaged water-pumping station that serves Basra.

An official of the World Food Program said government food warehouses there are "practically empty."

Rumsfeld: Iraqi Army Knows Days Numbered

Rumsfeld said the Iraqi regime is using some dirty tricks on the battlefield but said they are the acts of "desperate men" who know their days are numbered.

In a war briefing at the Pentagon, Rumsfeld said ground forces are meeting some Iraqi resistance -- but it's been expected. He said Iraqi fighters are giving up by the hundreds or simply leaving their units.

He said the coalition has more than 3,500 Iraqi prisoners of war.

Rumsfeld said Iraqi troops have been dressing as civilians and waving white flags to draw coalition forces into ambush attacks. He said they're also using Red Cross vehicles to send military instructions.

He said such acts could increase as coalition forces get closer to Baghdad, and that the war could grow more dangerous. But he said the outcome is assured -- that Saddam's regime will fall. He said it's unclear how many days -- or weeks -- that will take.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said such actions as using human shields, mistreating coalition prisoners, fighting in civilian clothes and feigning surrenders so they can ambush coalition forces are all forbidden under the rules of war, adding a warning for Iraqi troops.

"Do not do it -- because you will be tried as a war criminal," Fleischer said.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers said ground troops have moved more than 200 miles into Iraq, and that more than 1,000 bombing runs were made Monday, many against Saddam's elite Republican Guard.

U.S. Military Commanders Report Progress

U.S. military officials say allied air forces will continue to pound Iraq's Republican Guard as land forces continue to advance on the Iraqi capital.

In a war briefing, Brig. Gen. Victor Renuart, of the U.S. Air Force, (pictured, right) also said six satellite-jamming devices used by Iraq to try to block American precision-guided weapons have been destroyed. He said the devices had "no effect" on U.S. military operations.

"The bottom line is we're on track," Renuart said.

The general also said hundreds more bombing runs are planned on Saddam's elite forces.

Brooks said that the coalition's efforts are being focused on attacking the Iraqi regime directly and doing so with precision.

Renuart said land forces are meeting resistance from Iraqi forces as allied troops sweep through the south of the country. He says there have been coalition casualties.

But he said coalition forces have destroyed a number of tanks, artillery and Iraqi military formations.

Once again, Renuart warned Iraqi civilians to stay off the roads, avoid military or government facilities, and to remain calm. He wants them to remain in their towns and homes. He denied that military is making Iraq a "no-drive zone."

"The intent is to not cause harm to any civilians," Renuart said.

But the general did say that Iraqi soldiers are using civilians as human shields.

"Human shields are a cowardly way to act on a battlefield and I think that we have trained our forces well enough to understand when and where human shields may be used on the battlefield," Renuart said.

Renuart also said that there are times where the Iraqi regime is placing military equipment in and around schools and hospitals.

"We have very clear guidance to our people not to engage those things." Renuart said. "I believe our troops are trained to deal with those situations on the battlefield and the occasions where we've seen those things have been successful doing so."

"We're on track, and we'll deal with these regular and irregular forces wherever we find them."

U.S. commanders also praised British troops for securing the key Iraqi port of Umm Qasr.

Renuart said that it is believed that humanitarian aid will begin to flow through the port of Umm Qasr "in a short number of days." (Full Story)

Hundreds Of Enemy Deaths Reported

A top American commander is reporting hundreds of enemy deaths.

Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Preston of V Corps, which oversees the 3rd Infantry, said that about 500 Iraqis have been killed in the last two days by the 3rd Infantry Division's tanks and mechanized units as they sweep through southern Iraq.

Preston said U.S. forces have run into "a lot" of Iraqi tanks and antiaircraft weaponry -- as well as "thousands and thousands" of weapons around one city.

He said it "could have been very ugly" but the regular Iraqi army recruits seem to have low morale and just want to go home.

Preston said family members have been seen picking up dead soldiers and taking them home to bury them. U.S. troops are stopping civilian vehicles to interrogate people.

Asked about his division's plans, he replied, "Baghdad. That's where we're going, one step at a time."

Meanwhile, the remains of two U.S. Marines who were killed in action on March 21 arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Maryland early Tuesday morning.

The base said in a news release that the remains will be positively identified and then released to family members.

Bad Weather Hampers Coalition Forces

Bad weather in Iraq continues to hamper coalition forces.

Iraq often has sandstorms in the spring, but forecasters said Tuesday's storm is especially strong, bringing dust and sand from as far away as Egypt and Libya.

They said lighter winds are forecast for Wednesday, and then no major sandstorms are expected for at least a few days.

There are howling winds in Baghdad, and the skies are clouded by storms and smoke from fuel fires that have been set to help hide targets.

They've slowed U.S. and British forces advancing on the Iraqi capital to a crawl. Combat missions from two aircraft carriers have been called back.

At least a dozen planes returned without reaching Iraq. Two Army divisions are virtually stalled in a sandstorm that's cut visibility to a few feet.

Thousands of Marines are heading toward Baghdad, but they've traveled only about 20 miles in five hours.

Many members of a U.S. Army division advancing on Baghdad from the south continue to face sandstorms and have taken shelter in their fighting vehicles.

A sandstorm sweeping across the area around the city of Karbala has forced many soldiers to take refuge inside their vehicles, where they ate and talked about home.

Outside, a few men wore goggles, helmets and scarves against the sand and 50-mph winds.

The American forces have been pounding military targets south of Baghdad with howitzers and rockets in an all-night barrage that lit up the clouds.

The artillery fire started at nightfall and ended before dawn. It usually consisted of a half-hour barrage, followed by a break as the gunners took aim at another target.

U.S. officials repeat warnings that they believe Iraq is more likely to use chemical or biological weapons against coalition troops the closer they get to Baghdad.

Meanwhile, troops in the Army's 3rd Infantry managed to get a good night's sleep despite the sandstorm and the sounds of war.

Soldiers took turns sleeping. They shaved and got as clean as they could amid the ever-present dust.

The men even made "frappucinos" -- by dumping coffee, creamer and sugar into cold water and shaking the bottle hard. Some ate field rations, which included chicken tetrazzini or pasta with vegetable sauce.

Explosions Reported In North

Loud explosions were heard Tuesday near the northern Iraqi oil center of Kirkuk.

People in a Kurdish-held city about 30 miles away didn't report seeing any warplanes in the sky. Coalition warplanes on Monday bombed an Iraqi military barracks in the area.

Action in northern Iraq continues as allied troops try to advance on Baghdad from the south.

Baghdad Braces

Distant explosions could also be heard more frequently in Baghdad on Tuesday, as the Iraqi capital braces for a battle with advancing coalition forces.

More security and police officers are on the streets, and residents say members of Saddam's feared intelligence agencies have also been posted.

Bigger trenches are being dug around the city, including in the courtyard of a museum that houses priceless antiques.

Witnesses said the intelligence headquarters was struck again Monday in a coalition raid. The sprawling defense complex reportedly was also hit, with a large building severely damaged.

State-run radio and TV continue to air patriotic songs and file footage of Saddam. A paper owned by his son has published pictures of headless bodies it says belong to Iraqi civilians killed in bombing raids.

Garbage seems to be piling up in parts of the city, but public buses are running normally and many more shops are open.