Invasion force surges into Iraq

Invasion force surges into Iraq

Hundreds of Iraqi troops are said to have surrendered

American and British troops have advanced deep into Iraqi territory on the second day of the military campaign to topple President Saddam Hussein.

Hundreds of Iraqi troops have surrendered while many more have abandoned their defensive positions, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.

US Marines are said to have "overwhelmed" Iraq's only deep-water port at Umm Qasr in the south-east - seen as key for the importing of aid for the Iraqi civilian population - after encountering pockets of resistance.

British troops have taken control of key oil installations on the nearby al-Faw peninsula after a brief firefight, an operation designed to prevent the release of oil into the Gulf by retreating Iraqi forces.

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But Chief of the UK Defence Staff Admiral Sir Michael Boyce said that elsewhere in Iraq seven oil wells had been set alight by Iraqi forces, down from an earlier estimate of 30.

Meanwhile, leading elements of a coalition formation are said to be on the outskirts of Iraq's main southern city, Basra.

Elsewhere, the US 3rd Infantry Division has pushed into the centre of the country before running into resistance at the city of Nasiriya - a key crossing point over the Euphrates river on the way to Baghdad.

The BBC's Gavin Hewitt, who is travelling with the division, says the enormous convoy of tanks and armoured vehicles has engaged Iraqi forces with artillery and rocket launchers.

Earlier, as the convoy crossed the highway outside Basra, our correspondent said that Iraqi motorists stopped in amazement to stare at it.

US defence officials have confirmed that key airfields known as H2 and H3 in western Iraq have been taken over by coalition forces.

BBC Pentagon correspondent Nick Childs says the area is very significant: it is feared that Iraq could launch Scud missiles from there towards Israel; at least one of the bases is suspected of being connected to Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction programmes; and the airfields could also be used to fly in significant numbers of reinforcements.

Coalition deaths

The military successes came as the US-led forces reported their first combat fatality of the campaign - a US Marine killed by gunfire in southern Iraq.

The war is provoking angry protests, particularly in the Arab world

This came hours after eight British and four American servicemen died when their Sea Knight transport helicopter crashed in Kuwait, in what is believed to have been an accident.

There is no clear indication how many Iraqis have been killed in the American and British advance.

Meanwhile, fierce fighting has been reported around the big oil fields in northern Iraq, which US special forces are said to be trying to secure.

The BBC's world affairs editor, John Simpson, who is near the town of Kirkuk, says he has been hearing the sounds of battle, including artillery and anti-aircraft fire, from the direction of the oil fields.

In other developments:

• Anti-war protests continue around the world, with at least two people - one of them a policeman - killed in clashes in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa

• Coalition forces intercept two barges packed with anti-ship mines as they attempt to leave port in Iraq, leading to the naval task force in the Gulf being placed on a state of heightened alert

• A wave of US B-52 bombers takes off from RAF Fairford in England

• Patriot missile defence systems shoot down more Iraq missiles heading for Kuwait following Thursday's attacks

• Talks to allow the US and its allies to use Turkish airspace for the war effort break down after disagreement over the role that Turkish troops might play in northern Iraq

• Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov says he plans to approach the United Nations legal department and ask them to declare the war illegal

• French President Jacques Chirac says he will not accept a US-British post-war administration of Iraq, adding that the UN is the only body which can be responsible for rebuilding the country.

US President George W Bush has said that the war is "making progress".

He added: "We will stay on task until we've achieved our objective, which is to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction and free the Iraqi people so they can live in a society that is hopeful, democratic, and at peace in its neighbourhood."

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After expressing his sadness over the deaths of British and American servicemen, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said: "There are signs of continuing Iraqi desertions, disagreement and division at all levels of the regime.

"But I should warn that our forces will face resistance and that the campaign, necessarily, will not achieve all its objectives overnight."

In their latest official response to the coalition attack, Iraqi ministers have issued defiant statements.

The Information Minister, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, told journalists that television pictures showing Iraqi troops surrendering were falsified.

He also said that Iraqi forces had shot down a coalition fighter jet. This has been denied by the American military.

Interior Minister Mahmoud Dhiab al-Ahmed described the US as a "superpower of villains", comparing President George W Bush to the 1920s American gangster, Al Capone.

Baghdad prayers

The Iraqi capital, Baghdad, came under renewed Cruise missile attacks after night fell on Thursday.

Buildings belonging to the foreign and planning ministries were hit, as was an office previously used by Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.

The Iraqis say a number of people were killed, including civilians.

People attending mosques in the city for Friday prayers heard religious leaders strongly denounce the attacks.

BBC correspondents in Baghdad, whose reports had to be cleared by the Iraqi authorities, say traffic in the city is normal and some shops and markets are open for business.