Toughest Iraqi resistance so far, says US

DOHA - Sunday was the "toughest day of resistance" so far encountered by US-led forces in four days of war against Iraq, says a US army general.

"It's the toughest day of resistance that we've had thus far. We understand that there may be other tough days ahead of us but the outcome is still certain," General John Abizaid added.

He told reporters at Central Command headquarters in Qatar that US forces had sustained casualties but declined to give exact figures saying first reports usually proved inaccurate.

He said he believed "less than 10" Marines were killed in fighting at Nassiriya.

"We are not over-confident in this endeavour," the general said in response to a question. "We will arrive in the vicinity of Baghdad soon," he said.

President George W Bush has warned Iraqis they would be punished as "war criminals" if they mistreated US prisoners, and said the United States was just beginning a tough fight for Iraq.

Briefing reporters as he returned to the White House from the Camp David presidential retreat, Bush said the progress in the war had been good so far. But, he added, "This is just the beginning of a tough fight."

Bush spoke as American and British soldiers advanced toward Baghdad in a campaign to overthrow Iraq's leadership.

The offensive saw some setbacks as Britain said a US missile had brought down one of its Tornado planes. In a separate incident, a US soldier was being held as a suspect after a grenade attack wounded 13 American soldiers in Kuwait.

Also, Iraqi television, relayed by the Arabic network Al-Jazeera, showed pictures of at least four bodies, said to be US soldiers, and five prisoners they said were Americans taken in a battle near the southern city of Nassiriya.

"The POWs I expect to be treated humanely, just like we're treating the prisoners that we have captured humanely. If not, the people who mistreat the prisoners will be treated as war criminals," Bush said.

US defence officials said 12 US service members were reported missing after fierce fighting around the city of Nassariya, apparently captured or killed by the Iraqi military.

Appearing on several morning talk shows, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the footage of captured soldiers was a violation of the Geneva Convention.

"That's a violation of the Geneva Convention, those pictures you show, if, in fact, those are our soldiers," Rumsfeld told CBS.

As US officials sought to find more information about the captured soldiers, Rumsfeld said the ground troops were moving swiftly toward Baghdad. He described the overall progress of the American attack as excellent.

"The ground forces are moving along at a very good clip and heading toward Baghdad," he told NBC.

"While your heart breaks when there is a friendly fire incident or when someone is killed or taken prisoner, nonetheless the general progress of it, I think, is excellent," he said.

As they have done since the war was launched with dawn raids in Baghdad on Thursday, US officials expressed certainty they would prevail.

"The outcome is clear," Rumsfeld said. "It will end, and Saddam Hussein's regime will be gone."

US officials said they still had not been able to determine whether Saddam, whom the United States targeted in the war's opening attack, was alive, dead or possibly wounded.

"I know that Saddam Hussein is losing control of his country," Bush said.

Iraqi television showed the Iraqi leader meeting with military leaders he earlier thanked for staunch resistance.

US officials reported some confusion within the command structure of the Iraqi military but predicted tougher resistance in the next phase of the war.

A US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there is "a lot of tough slogging ahead" and that Western forces were entering a particularly dangerous part of the mission.

Air force Gen. Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Fox News that "the fairly rapid advance toward Baghdad ... is going to be tougher as we get closer and closer."

The area around the Iraqi capital is the most heavily defended in the country.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq