I have been tracking military events in Iraq since the first weekend of the war. As time went on, I found that my notes needed some order, so I collected them together in one word processing file (no brand names, please). As time went on, I found it easier to update the file by cutting and pasting from news items on the internet. Today, I decided that I should include cites. This is my file to date. As the war progresses, I plan to update this file, including maps.

The reason for taking notes in the first place was to cut through the "fog of war". Actually, it wasn't the fog of war I was found myself cutting through, but the fog of "spin". I found that my notes took on the quality of a list of facts, somewhat akin to the statement of facts in a legal brief. I usually avoided anything merely stated by the spin doctors in Washington D.C., Kuwait City and Doha. Most of the items come from embedded reporters with the Associated Press (through my local paper), the New York Times, the BBC Online, and the Washington Post. I would include al Jazeera, but my Arabic is nowhere near good enough to read it, let alone translate it. Early on, when I was paraphrasing articles in the papers, on TV and the Radio, the notes had an antiseptic feel to them. Later, as I started cutting and pasting directly from the online articles, more color crept into the entries.

In order to keep the notes coherent, I have edited them, but I will give a cite for them anyway. My editing usually involves taking out the more colorful descriptors. Colorful adjectives are used by journalists to make a story more dramatic. That is not to say a particular story is not dramatic, but it also colors the facts using the journalist's own perspective. It is makes a story less factual and more of a personal view. Some of the stories were quite well written, but I butchered them in order to get at the facts.

Here is the first entry. The main file has been heavily edited from this draft, but I left that file on my computer at work. I also include a supplement of items I added today at home. I will replace this draft with a more current one tomorrow.

March 19 – Wednesday
War Begins
36 Tomahawk cruise missiles hit Hussein in Baghdad
Two F117A stealth fighters each drop a one-ton bomb on Baghdad
US special forces move into Western Iraq

March 20 – Thursday
Ground invasion begins in the evening
An Nasiriyah
Apache Helicopters attack An Nasiriyah and Taliil Airbase
In Baghdad
Cruise missiles hit government buildings including Ministry of Planning, Foreign Affairs, and the deputy prime minister’s office along with presidential palaces and Rashiid Airbase in Baghdad
U.S. covert teams operate in Iraq cities trying to kill members of President Saddam Hussein's inner circle, including Baath party officials and Special Republican Guard commanders
Northern Iraq
Cruise missiles hit Nebuchadnezzar Republican Guard in Kirkuk
Southern Iraq and Basra
Troops enter Umm Qasr and head towards Basra
Blackhawk helicopters head into Iraq at midnight
5th & 7th Regiments, US Marines head towards Rumayla oil fields
UK artillery hits Iraq in the evening

March 21 – Friday
Kuwait, Southern Iraq and Basra
UK Marines and RAF enter Faw Peninsula
UK commandos seize oil terminals on Faw Peninsula early morning
15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are in Umm Qasr at midday, find resistance in the afternoon
US Marine Task Force Tarawa still at Kuwaiti border
Drive Towards Baghdad
US 3rd Infantry enters Iraq at 4:30am
Iraqi 11th Infantry apparently surrenders, US forces pass them by rather than capturing them
US 7th Cavalry reaches deep into Iraq by morning
US 3rd Infantry up to 100km into Iraq by 3:30pm, passes by surrendering Iraqi soldiers
An Nasiriyah
Apache helicopters continue attack near An Nasiriyah
US armor approaches An Nasiriyah at about 6:30pm, fire rockets and engage in heavy fighting
Western Iraq
US & UK Special forces seize H2 and H3 airfields in western Iraq
In Baghdad
1300 cruise missiles and bombs hit Baghdad
Northern Iraq & Kurdistan
Bombs and cruise missiles hit Iraqi army II Corps HQ in Jalawla, Mosul, and Republican Guard in Kirkuk
US Special forces are in Kurdistan
Kurdish Peshmurga gather to attack Ansar al Islam

March 22 - Saturday
Southern Iraq and Basra
Iraqi 51st Armored Division apparently surrenders near Basra
Commander of Iraqi 51st Armored Division apparently captured in the morning
Oil wells on fire in southern Iraq
US Marines capture Rumayla oil field
US Marines still face resistance in Umm Qasr throughout the day
UK 7th Armored Brigade enters Iraq and heads for Umm Qasr and Basra
Surrendering soldiers in s. Iraq disappear with their guns by evening
Drive Towards Baghdad
3rd Infantry hit by mortar fire near As Samawah
An Nasiriyah
Bridge in Nasiriyah captured
US Marines face pockets of resistance in An Nasiriyah, taking bridges across Euphrates and Saddam Canal in evening
In Baghdad
Air strikes in Baghdad hit military and government buildings
Northern Iraq & Kurdistan
Bombs hit Iraqi army II Corps HQ in Jalawla
Bombs hit Ansar al Islam, Mosul, and Republican Guard in Kirkuk

March 23 – Sunday
Kuwait, Southern Iraq and Basra
Bombs hit Basra
Continued resistance in Umm Qasr through midday. Quiet by evening
US soldier drops grenade into officer’s tent at HQ of 101st airborne in Kuwait
UK Marines see heavy street fighting in Al Faw
US Officials discovered that the 'commander' of the 51st Armored Division was actually a junior officer masquerading as a higher-up in an attempt to win better treatment
Drive Towards Baghdad
US 3rd infantry engages Iraqi Republican Guard near An Najaf in morning
US Marines 100 miles into Iraq on main expressway, past An Nasiriyah by evening. 100 miles from Baghdad by midnight
An Nasiriyah
Iraqi irregulars ambush US forces near An Nasiriyah. US Marines face significant resistance by midday. Warthogs brought in to destroy Iraqi tanks, artillery, and mortars. Eight marines missing, nine killed.
US 507th Maintenance, 3rd Infantry turns into An Nasiriyah and are attacked. Soldiers killed and captured
In Baghdad
Bombs hit Baghdad
Northern Iraq & Kurdistan
Bombs hit Mosul, Kirkuk
200 US special forces arrive in Kurdistan
Kurds attack Iraqis near Erbil in evening with artillery and heavy machine guns. They are directed by US Special Forces

March 24 – Monday
Kuwait, Southern Iraq and Basra
Baath paramilitaries counter-attack in Basra using artillery
UK soldiers fight Baath militia in Safwan
Umm Qasr is quiet
UK 42 Commando replaces US 15 MEU in Umm Qasr. 15th MEU moves north.
UK 3 Paratroopers under fire in Rumayla oil fields
An Nasiriyah
US Marine Task Force Tarawa enters An Nasiriyah with 5,000 troops, fight Iraqi 23rd Infantry Brigade
US Marines face significant resistance in An Nasiriyah midday through midnight. Marine artillery shells town. Helicopters go in. The main battle is at the north bridge over the Saddam canal.
Najaf, Karbala and Around Baghdad
US bombs busload of Syrians near the Syrian border
US F16 destroys patriot missile battery near An Najaf
3rd Infantry seizes an ammunition depot near An Najaf
11th Attack Helicopter Regiment, 3rd Infantry engages Al Medina Republican Guard with 30 helicopters near An Najaf, most are damaged with small arms fire. US helicopter is downed, two crew members captured
Tank company (Troop C) from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry seizes bridge in Kifl north of Najaf, in evening in attempt to block Iraqi reinforcements from reaching An Najaf.
Al Kut, Diwaniyah & Central Mesopotamia
US Marines advancing on Baghdad encounter resistance in Morning
Northern Iraq & Kurdistan
Bombs hit Tikrit, Mosul, Kirkuk

March 25 – Tuesday
Heavy Sandstorms
Kuwait, Southern Iraq and Basra
Quiet in Umm Qasr, US & British control the town, deliver water, clear mines at midday
British assault Basra and remnants of Iraqi 51st Armored Division
Reports of local uprisings against Baathists in Basra
Iraqis might be reinforcing Basra from north.
Reports that about 1000 Baathist loyalists control local population in Basra
UK Marines move to Iranian border
UK 7th Armoured Division outside Basra, fire artillery into city at midday.
An Nasiriyah
US Marines pass through Nasiriyah in significant numbers with hundreds of tanks, Bradley fighting Vehicles
US Marines Task Force Tarawa fighting in Nasiriyah with Helicopter gunships. Soldiers take hospitals where Iraqis stored weapons.
Najaf, Karbala and Around Baghdad
Sandstorms slow advance of 3rd infantry
Bombing of Al Medina Division of the Republican Guard around Baghdad is 20 miles from city
UK Tornadoes take out tanks and artillery near Karbala
US V Corps fights SE of Najaf
US 2nd Battalion, 70th Armored Regiment is south of Karbala
Iraqis assault 3rd Infantry near An Najaf. 150-500 Iraqis killed. No US casualties reported.
The Third Squadron, Seventh Cavalry, moving north from Samawah, captured a bridge south of Najaf late Tuesday
Iraqis try to blow bridge in Kifl in morning. Firefight ensues with 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry.
In Baghdad
Cruise missiles take out television in Baghdad. It resumes following morning
Al Kut, Diwaniyah & Central Mesopotamia
US Marines stall 100 miles south of Baghdad, shell Iraqi columns
1st Marine Expeditionary Force is still on the Highway to Al Kut
Battle outside As Samawah, US loses Abrams tank
Ambush Tuesday night leaves 23 Iraqis and 1 American dead
Northern Iraq & Kurdistan
Kurdish troops are on the move

March 26 – Wednesday
Fierce Sandstorms continue
HQ decides to focus on rear actions to protect its supply lines
Kuwait, Southern Iraq and Basra
Elements of Iraqi 51st Armored Division head south of Basra. British airstrikes destroy them
Najaf, Karbala and Around Baghdad
Bombing on Republican Guard south of Baghdad
7th Cavalry Regiment moves to east bank of Euphrates. 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry seizes another bridge in Kifl north of Najaf in the morning, effectively completing the encirclement of Najaf. Iraqis attempt to reinforce Najaf from Karbala with thousands of troops. 2nd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment holds off scores of Iraqis in jeeps, civilian trucks at a brick factory just north of Kifl. US tanks, Bradleys and Warthogs destroyed them. Iraqis from Republican guard. B-52’s destroy brick factory
Iraqi commander inside Najaf telephoned his superiors in Baghdad in the morning to tell them that he was surrounded, but as many as 1,000 fighters from militia groups, remained within the city and continued to clash with American soldiers.
3rd infantry artillery repeatedly fired in the morning and evening on Iraqi troops — some in tanks, most in troop transports — who tried to reinforce the city from the north and the south
In Baghdad
Bombing in Baghdad
explosion devastated a neighborhood market on Baghdad's outskirts, killing at least 14 people; U.S. officials suggested an errant Iraqi surface-to-air missile was responsible. The crater at the Shuala market was about four feet across and two feet deep, smaller than the gaping holes likely to be left by a cruise missile. Iraqis accuse US of firing missile.
Al Kut, Diwaniyah & Central Mesopotamia
US Marines fire artillery into Ash Shatrah north of Nasiriyah.
Marine field hospital set up in Diwaniyah
US Marines captures Iraqi brigadier general
Marines ambushed at least 3 times along highway 1
A group of Iraqis attacked the convoy's forward base, resulting in a firefight that left five Marines wounded.
2nd Marine Tank Battalion battled Saddam Hussein's Al Quds Brigade made up of thousands of militia volunteers at 9:00pm. Battle continues for 30 hours.
An Nasiriyah
1000 Iraqis irregulars launch surprise attack from An Nasiriyah rail station towards US Marine regimental headquarters. Iraqis irregulars reinforce town on rail line, assemble at railroad depot, then fan out at night. Iraqis use rockets. The regimental headquarters and the central command of the artillery batteries both received machine-gun fire and faced the threat of being overrun. The ensuing battle went on for hours into the night. Marines had been guarding roads, but not the rail line.
Northern Iraq & Kurdistan
173rd Airborne Regiment parachute into Kurdistan near Erbil at a strategic airfield
Bombing in Mosul

March 27 – Thursday
Sandstorms begin to subside
Kuwait, Southern Iraq and Basra
UK 33 Engineering Regiment lose two soldiers near Basra
UK 7th Armoured destroys 14 Iraqi tanks leaving Basra to the south and attack the Baath HQ in Basra. 7th Armoured also controls Basra Airport and Az Zubayr.
Iraqi army is still NE of Basra
An Nasiriyah
Two US Marine units from Task Force Tarawa, an infantry company and a reconnaissance battalion, fire on each other in An Nasiriyah overnight
US Marines begin taking new defensive measures at dawn. Artillery batteries pulled back closer to their headquarters. Bulldozers plowed thick berms around the camps, and marines spent the day digging in.
US Marines continue assault on An Nasiriyah to dislodge fedayeen. The assault includes bombing in the morning, artillery in the evening. US Marines capture Iraqi general in An Nasiriyah along with documents.
US C130 lands at Taliil Airbase outside An Nasiriyah
U.S. Special Operations aircraft carried out raids in Nasiriyah on Thursday aimed at destroying a pair of buildings used by paramilitary forces.
Najaf, Karbala and Around Baghdad
1st Brigade, 101st Airborne moves to near Baghdad.
101st Airborne sets up medical facilities 100 miles south of Karbala, 50 miles SW of An Najaf
Up to 3000 troops of Al Medina Division, Republican Guard head to Karbala. It is hit by intense air strikes.
Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment fighting in As Samawah in morning and enters the city.
B-52’s begin bombing around Baghdad
2nd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment fighting in Kifl.
Snipers and irregular troops infiltrated the American lines near Kifl, threw up harassing fire and charged American tanks in light trucks
1000 Iraqis have been killed in the last 72 hours near Najaf
Battle NE of an Najaf previous night with 1500 Iraqis. 535th Engineering Company involved.
In Baghdad
Continued bombing of Baghdad
Al Kut, Diwaniyah & Central Mesopotamia
Iraqis moving to west of Al Kut. Large group of vehicles and troops from Al Nida Division Republican Guard move outside Baghdad towards Al Kut. 1st Marines advance on Al Kut, make it to Qalat Shakkar.
Iraqi fighters spilled out of the town of Samawah to attack 1st Marines’ supply line. US loses 2 Abrams tanks. US 1st Marine Division attacks Fedayeen Saddam in As Samawah with tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, Apache helicopters.
Iraqi assault forces back US Marine supply convoy near Ad Diwaniyah. 1st Marine Expeditionary Force has 22,000 troops 10 miles north of Ad Diwaniyah waiting for supplies. 1st Marine Division’s 7th Regimental Combat Team's light armored reconnaissance patrols have fought several scraps with guerrillas
Northern Iraq & Kurdistan
Iraqis abandon positions near Chamchamal towards Kirkuk. Kurds take those positions.
Bombing continues in the north into the evening
US paratroopers are seen in Sulaymaniyah in the evening
US 173rd Engineering Regiment prepare Bashur Airfield near Hirar, Kurdistan
US airstrikes on Ansar al Islam and Kalkin, Kurdistan
Bombing continues in Mosul, Kirkuk and Tikrit
Iraqi divisions in the north moving south to Tikrit and Baghdad

March 28 – Friday
Kuwait, Basra & Southern Iraq
In Az Zubayr, near Basra, Saddam's public popularity is nose-diving after a coalition raid dismantled Saddam's Baath party structure there. Black Watch Regiment trying to pacify town.
Paramilitaries fire on civilians trying to leave Basra in the morning. 1000 civilians escape Basra, British interrogate them
British continue to shell Iraqi positions in Basra
British troops in the area seized a water treatment plant on the west bank of the Shatt al-Arab waterway outside Basra in an effort to restore service for the city .
British Marines attempt to destroy Iraqi bunker positions to the north of our positions along the Basra road. There was a particularly heavy fire fight last night.
Locals try to leave Basra, but Iraqi militia fire on them. UK Black Watch Battalion engaged the militia. British ambulances cannot reach the injured until about 5:00pm.
Marines destroy Baath loyalist buildings in Basra late at night. British troops staged two late night raids on the outskirts of Basra, targeting buildings that they had heard were being used by paramilitary units to organize attacks. Four Iraqis were reported killed with no British casualties.
US F-15E Strike Eagles hit building in Basra where 200 Iraqi paramilitaries were meeting.
Iraqi troops have been trying repeatedly to surrender to coalition forces but are being prevented from doing so by their own commanders. This happened at an Iraqi military compound about three miles south east of Basra. It started with an artillery barrage by British forces. Immediately afterwards a group of Iraqi soldiers raised a white flag indicating that they wanted to surrender. But that never happened. During the course of a confusing afternoon, the white flag was raised a further three times. On each occasion, Iraqi reinforcements arrived and the soldiers, perhaps 300 in all, lowered the flag.
US drone spy plane is shot down over Basra
Banditry and lawlessness appear to be spreading through some areas in southwestern Iraq
Military and humanitarian successes are slowly winning over southern Iraqis
Aid is distributed in Safwan
British supply ship Sir Galahad enters Umm Qasr with minesweeper escort
Anti-Saddam Iraqis show up in Safwan flying green and black flags.
24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (2,000) lands in northern Kuwait to protect supply lines in Iraq
British forces have quite a significantly sized prisoner of war camp with about 2,000 prisoners. Regular army Iraqi prisoners are relaxed.
British armored units sneaked into the besieged city late at night and destroyed two statues
An Nasiriyah
Nasiriyah resistance is more subdued
US Marines attack Iraqi Regiment HQ and Baath HQ in an Nasiriyah
More US troops head to An Nasiriyah with heavy artillery
US and Iraqis exchanged tank and artillery fire in An Nasiriyah. US sent in Cobra helicopters. Four Marines with the 1st Expeditionary Force were reported missing.
Saddam's Fedayeen, a paramilitary organization, was spotted in and around Nasiriyah
Bodies recovered of three men and one woman — all American soldiers, possibly from the maintenance company that was attacked last Sunday in an Nasiriyah
Marines swept through a series of row houses on Thursday that had been used by snipers to fire on U.S. forces
a convoy of about 200 Marine trucks and other vehicles traveling north out of Nasiriyah came under fire from mortars and rocket-propelled grenades on Friday. Commanders dispatched AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters, and teams of Marines from both north and south to rescue the convoy, which reported no U.S. casualties
Iraqi ambulance stopped near troops and men in white coats stepped out. Then they started shooting
Najaf, Karbala & Around Baghdad
US troops were within 50 miles of Baghdad to the south; north of Najaf, the Army's V Corps defeated paramilitary attacks.
US troops have taken to using cash to buy building materials from local Iraqis near Najaf
US 3rd Infantry digs in
Commanders of the US 3rd Infantry began communicating with Shiite leaders inside An Najaf in hopes of winning their cooperation to eject fighters loyal of Mr. Hussein
3rd Infantry increased its artillery and rocket attacks on the Republican Guard forces standing between Najaf and Baghdad
Air attacks focused on the Republican Guard's Medina division.
US drops 1000 pound bombs on Republican Guard around Baghdad
F/A-18’s attack Al Medina Republican Guard fuel depot and missile facility south of Baghdad
In the first intense combat mission for the 101st Airborne Division, more than three dozen AH-64 Apache attack helicopters struck targets around the city of Karbala on Friday night, along with Navy, Marine, Air Force and British aircraft. Helicopters took off from bases in central Iraq shortly after 8 p.m. and last through the night. Two Apache helicopters crash upon return. Killing 50 and destroying 25 Iraqi tanks or armored vehicles.
Elements of the Medina Division of Republican Guard have moved toward Karbala. Medina division received reinforcements and perhaps chemical weapons. The Medina Division has recently moved from a garrison south of Baghdad to defensive positions in the Euphrates Valley, astride the potential path of the 3rd Infantry Division as it angles toward the western approaches to the capital
In Baghdad
US drops two 4,700-pound “bunker buster” bombs on a major communications tower on the banks of the Tigris River
Thundering explosions were seen near the Republican Presidential Palace
A crowded market was devastated by a powerful explosion that the government said killed 58 people.
Upper floors of the Information Ministry also were struck by a bomb or missile
In addition to the telecommunications facilities, the Baath Party office and sites near the information and planning ministries, four telephone-company exchanges were gutted, disrupting phone service in the city.
Al Kut, Diwaniyah & Central Mesopotamia
1st Marine Expeditionary force was north of Qalat Sikar. Marines were concentrating their forces on a road leading to Kut
US Marines heading towards al Kut fight off Iraqi attackers with small arms and RPG’s during the previous night.
1st Marine Division stop their northward push up Highway 1. Marines pounded a cement plant at Ad Diwaniyah where Fedayeen were holed up overnight. F14 Tom-Cat planes dropped 500 lb. bombs, then mortars were fired at the target, followed by artillery rounds. By the time the Marines had finished the complex was completely leveled to the ground. The US 5th Marine Regiment digging in at base camp at Ad Diwaniyah.
A convoy of about 200 Marine trucks and other vehicles traveling north out of Nasiriyah came under fire from mortars and rocket-propelled grenades on Friday. Commanders dispatched AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters, and teams of Marines from both north and south to rescue the convoy, which reported no U.S. casualties
First Marine Division at least three days behind schedule in preparations for a ground assault on Baghdad
Kurdistan
Kurds take Karahangir near Kirkuk
5000 Kurdish Peshmurga take Ansar al Islam base at Biara at dawn. US Special Forces provide artillery fire and air support
Iraqis shell Chamchamal with rockets

March 29 – Saturday
Basra & Southern Iraq
Iraqi Chinese-made Silkworm missile hits shopping mall in Kuwait
Basra is nowhere near to being under US & UK control
Artillery fire was heard north of Umm Qasr
aid parcels were distributed to Iraqis in Zubayr
British and American forces have also gained control of a major oil refinery near Basra, and have begun using a mobile radio transmitter to broadcast antigovernment programs into the city
In Baghdad
Iraqi information ministry hit by Tomahawk cruise missiles
Four heavy explosions rocked the center of Baghdad just after 7:30 p.m.
Al Kut, Diwaniyah & Central Mesopotamia
5th and 7th Marine Regiments are heading towards Al Hilla in west. 1st Marine Regiment is heading toward al Kut in East.
Marine 11th Artillery is 10 miles s. of front line. Haven’t seen Fedayeen for 2 days. Civil Affairs units have been implementing a hearts and minds program along the supply lines.
Najaf, Karbala & Around Baghdad
A suicide bomber killed five Americans from 1st Brigade, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division in an attack at a U.S.-manned checkpoint on Highway 9 north of the city of Najaf
An Nasiriyah
US forces launch new artillery barrages on Nasiriyah. Iraqi resistance continues, in spite of heavy US attacks including air strikes and the use of helicopter gunships.
Task Force Tarawa searching an armored attack vehicle for bodies and personal items in Nasiriya on Saturday
US marines found equipment near Nasiriya earlier today at an Iraqi army base which had been bombed over the last couple of days. Marines who secured the compound found large amounts of ammunition of all kinds, enough to supply a force for weeks. In another part of the complex they found chemical protection suits and gas masks, and what they believe to be part of a chemical decontamination chamber. paramilitary training camp. Deep holes for fighting lined the main drive into the camp, and beyond them, obstacle courses and hand-painted silhouetted targets on blocks of concrete: a soldier's form, a tank's, a jeep's, a figure dropping in a parachute
82nd Airborne has been protecting supply lines around Nasiriyah
Kurdistan
A stream of U.S. troops continued to land at Bashur airfield to prepare a northern front for the eventual battle to take Baghdad.
Iraqi forces have fallen back on a defensive line right on the city's eastern outskirts and they've made similar pullbacks on other fronts to the north and north-west. Kurds control the command positions for the chemical units of the Iraqi Fifth Infantry Division
Iraqis continue to shell Kurds where the Iraqis fell back.
Additional Units on the Way:
4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) – about 20,000 troops are being flown to Kuwait from Fort Hood
3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment – Independent Army Regiment will form Task Force Iron Horse with 4th Infantry Division. From Fort Carson, CO
1st Infantry (Mechanized) – elements will be flown into Kurdish areas from Germany
2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment – additional troops will join their units in Iraq
1st Armored Regiment – additional troops will join their units in Iraq

March 30 – Sunday
101st Airborne Division surrounded Najaf on Sunday and was in position to begin rooting out the paramilitary forces inside the city, said Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Hill
In Nasirayah, where fighting has been fierce for a week, Marines secured buildings held by an Iraqi infantry division that contained large caches of weapons and chemical decontamination equipment.
A Marine UH-1 Huey helicopter crashed Sunday night at a forward supply and refueling point in southern Iraq
British troops moved into villages on the fringes of Basra, the southern city where an outnumbered but tough core of Saddam loyalists have held off the coalition for about a week. Up to 1,000 Royal Marines and supporting troops, backed by heavy artillery and tanks, staged a commando assault in a Basra suburb, killing some 30 Iraqi fighters and destroying a bunker and several tanks.
Royal Marine Commandos said they captured an Iraqi general and killed a Republican Guard colonel
In a 10-mile advance toward Baghdad on Sunday, bringing them within 50 miles of the capital, soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division
U.S. artillery fired volleys at the city of Al-Hindiyah on the Euphrates River.
targets hit by coalition aircraft included military facilities at the Abu Garayb Presidential Palace, the Karada military intelligence complex and the barracks of a major paramilitary training center, all in different sectors of Baghdad
Army's 3rd Infantry Division advanced 10 miles to near Karbala, just 50 miles from Baghdad - also a Shiite holy city. One battalion was slowed by the need to shepherd dozens of surrendering Iraqi soldiers.
Republican Guard positions between Karbala and Baghdad continued to be targeted for allied bombardment
At Tallil, the former Iraqi airbase near the southern city of Nasiriyah that has been taken over the U.S. forces, A-10 Warthogs departed for missions throughout the day. Tallil grows in importance and size with every day; it is nearer to targets than take-off points in the Persian Gulf, Kuwait or elsewhere
Kurdish troops took control of territory left by Iraqi forces withdrawing toward the oil center of Kirkuk. They advanced almost 10 miles - slowly, as the cleared more than 300 mines
Royal Marines' largest operation of the war so far, the British Press Association reported fierce fighting for the town of Abu al Khasib, southwest of Basra. It said 30 Iraqis had been killed and hundreds captured in what the British are calling Operation James, named after James Bond.
Kalashnikov rifles confiscated from defeated Iraqi soldiers were being collected by British troops to pass to pro-Western rebels in Basra.
Marines from 3rd Battalion, 4th Regiment returned Sunday from a two-day mission. Actively seeking engagements, they went to three cities and towns in southern-central Iraq including Afak, about 50 miles east of Najaf. Some of the fighting, they said, was building to building.
75th EXPLOITATION TASK FORCE hunting for evidence of weapons of mass destruction
Second Armored Cavalry regiment were leaving Louisiana for the war with Iraq by air rather than by ship
Marines from the Second Battalion were searching houses for weapons today in Nasiriya
Bombing in Mosul, Basra
British troops launched a new assault on the south-eastern outskirts of Basra just before first light. Royal Marine commandos are attempting to root out Iraqi positions in the palm groves along the edge of the Shatt al-Arab waterway. British tanks and artillery have been pounding Iraqi armour and trying to prevent reinforcements arriving from Basra itself. There are reports that several hundred Iraqi soldiers have already been taken prisoner. Early on Sunday, Royal Marine commandos killed a Republican Guard colonel believed to be directing irregular forces that have fired on civilians trying to flee the city
heavy American bombing in Kirkuk this morning. military posts around the oil installations to the North of the city
2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division fired on suspected enemy positions on the outskirts of this Euphrates River city tonight during a second day of clashes between U.S. Army forces and Iraqi military and militia groups. U.S. soldiers engaged enemy positions with small arms, mortars and 2.75-inch rockets fired from OH-58 Kiowa helicopters. Two battalions from the 82nd Airborne Division with tank support from a company from the 1st Armored Division, tried to block vehicle and foot traffic into the city of about 140,000. 1st Armored Division provided 14 Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
82nd Airborne Division killed about 100 "regime terror squad members" and captured about 50 prisoners at the Shiite holy city of Najaf
American Marine and Army infantry units arrayed along a broad front south of Baghdad on Sunday made their first probing attacks against the Republican Guard division at Karbala. 5,000-member Second Brigade of the Third Infantry Division wheeled its armored columns north from the region around Najaf. thousands of soldiers from the First Marine Division moved north from their static lines to engage Iraqi forces in towns along the highway approach to Baghdad
British Sunday blow up an arsenal of shells at an Iraqi Army base south of Basra
82nd Airborne has an airbase in S. Central Iraq and is escorting convoys to As Samawah
Firefights in Basra, Nasiriyah
15th MEU goes door to door in Nasiriyah
British Warplanes hit a fuel depot in Karbala
101st Airborne baattles iraqi mortar fire in Najaf and surrounds the city and secures an airfield
1st Marine Regiment moves north aand engages Iraqi forces in towns along the highway. Troops also raid local Baath party hq, unearthing large amounts of arms and take 27 prisoners.
Marine helicopter assaults on Nasiriya, where Hellfire missiles were fired into blocks of houses and buildings on the Euphrates waterfront.
The Marines' Third Air Wing has bombed the Baghdad Division, an infantry unit that is stationed southeast of Baghdad, and the Al Nida Division.
Adnan Division, a Republican Guard unit that was moved from Mosul to Tikrit, Mr. Hussein's hometown north of Baghdad, has moved again. Most of the division has now taken up positions close to Baghdad to strengthen the defense of the capital, while a small element is still in Tikrit.
1st Marines Regiment fighting near Rifa
2nd Marine Division hands out its own supplies to refugees in Nasiriyah.
The offensive at Abu al-Qassib east of Basra was described by one British officer as "the marines' largest operation of the war so far". Codenamed Operation James, after James Bond, it began at 0300 BST UK time with a heavy artillery barrage. The Royal Marines were supported by 14 Challenger II tanks, a similar number of Scimitar armoured vehicles and Commando-trained Royal Engineers. Units Involved: 40 Commando Royal Marines, 59 Independent Commando Squadron , Scots Dragoon Guards (tanks and armoured vehicles) , 1(UK) Armoured Division (artillery). three rifle companies, each consisting of more than 120 men, advanced on foot at first light along a wide front of territory aiming to trap Iraqi forces up against the Shatt Al-Arab waterway. To the east and the west blocking positions were set up. As Marines from 40 Commando advanced they were engaged many times by enemy snipers and from bunker positions. In another part of the battle, British helicopters destroyed three Iraqi boats that attacked a British position on the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
north of Basra, air support units destroyed 17 Iraqi T-55 tanks, five artillery pieces and seven armoured personnel carriers.
3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade had taken control of a stretch of Highway 9 about 14 miles west of the town of Hilla and 20 miles southwest of the ruins of Babylon. The area is about six miles from the Euphrates River, beyond which lie the southern approaches to Baghdad guarded by the Medina Division of President Saddam Hussein's elite Republican Guard. 3rd Infantry Division units turned to the east and ran into persistent resistance from militiamen and regular army personnel along Highway 9. Armed with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, the Iraqi fighters called in mortar strikes on the U.S. armor and were met with barrages from multiple-launch rocket systems and 155mm Paladin cannons
4 a.m., the division's 2nd Brigade moved out across the desert in the pre-dawn chill, engines groaning and tracks clanking as the armored vehicles churned up clouds of dust. The immediate targets were two Iraqi army mechanized companies and one tank company that had been sending vehicles south to probe the U.S. lines Alpha & Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 15th Regiment involved. In late afternoon, Bravo Company finally reached Highway 9. Captives taken, turned over to 141st Military Intelligence Battalion for questioning. Iraqi irregulars are members of the Al Quds militia
Fighting street by street, U.S. Army troops punched their way into Hindiyah today. At least 15 Iraqi troops were killed in the fighting in Hindiyah. Americans captured several dozen Iraqis Nebuchadnezzar Brigade, Republican Guard based in Saddam's home area of Tikrit
The nearly 10-mile advance toward Kirkuk Sunday by the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia was unchallenged but slowed by dense minefields. It was the third significant shift since Thursday

March 31 – Monday
In Al Hindiyah, 15 Iraqi troops were killed, and the Americans captured several dozen Iraqis who identified themselves as members of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard
Renewed Baghdad bombing targets area around information ministry
About 5,000 additional US troops, including special forces, are being sent to the area around Nasiriya
Royal Marine commandos have begun patrolling the streets of Abu al Khasib. British marines are continuing an operation to clear Iraqi forces from an area to the southeast of Basra
82nd Airborne is conducting operations in Samawa
US units are said to have pushed north from Najaf as far as the small town of HELAH, just southeast of Kerbala
Near the Nadia bridge (Basra) we're told there has been a serious firefight with the 16 Airborne involved. We're told that 240 Iraqi soldiers have been killed there.
American artillery rocket attacks and also mortar attacks on Iraqi forces around the city of Najaf have continued this morning. There are quite a few Iraqi casualties - may be up to 100
British army says it wiped out a significant amount of armour and infantry north of the Rumaila oil fields overnight
Early Monday, elements of the 3rd Infantry Division encountered Republican Guard units in the area south of Karbala and captured two officers, said Capt. Ronny Johnson, a company commander of the 3rd Battalion.
[Officers said 800 to 2,000 members of the Republican Guard were believed to be on the eastern side of the Euphrates, operating as commandos, with light antitank weapons but no armor.]

April 1 - Tuesday
American-led forces captured half a dozen Iraqi generals and are questioning them about chemical weapons and tactical battle information. A general captured in the last 48 hours gave tactical information that will give coalition forces an advantage, Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said. – Associated Press
American troops rescued Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, held as a prisoner of war in Iraq since she and other members of 507th Maintenance Company were ambushed March 23 near Nasiriyah . – Associated Press
West Of The Euphrates And South Of Karbala
U.S. forces entered first major ground fighting with Republican Guard troops late Tuesday around the holy city of Karbala. Earlier, U.S. forces unleashed a barrage on Republic Guard positions around the city, 50 miles south of Baghdad with Tomahawk cruise missiles, artillery and B-52 bombers. Troops outside the city could hear the detonations as flashes from the blasts illuminated the city. – Associated Press
The plan was for the Army's Third Infantry Division to come through the Karbala gap supplemented with elements of the Army's 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions. - John Kifner, New York Times
Soldiers from A Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment rested following Monday's battle at Hindiyah against Republican Guards and other Iraqi loyalists. – Associated Press
American forces attacked a Republican Guard division tonight at Karbala – Thomas Fuller, International Herald Tribune
BBC 0037: US military sources say US ground forces have begun a major engagement against the Medina and Baghdad divisions of the Iraqi Republican Guard south of Baghdad.
East Of The Euphrates And South, Near Diwaniyah
Ground action shifted eastward Tuesday across the Euphrates River, with U.S. Marines killing at least 80 Iraqi soldiers and taking more than 40 prisoners in an eight-hour battle. – Associated Press
Around Diwaniyah, Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 4th Regiment came under fire from artillery and mortars. Hundreds of Iraqi fighters with rocket-propelled grenades and rifles were said to be inside the town. Marines with 155 mm howitzers opened fire on Iraqi positions. In addition to the Iraqi casualties, Marine Lt. Col. B.P. McCoy said U.S. forces took 44 POWs including a few Republican Guard officers. No Marine losses were reported. – Associated Press
Local officials in Hillah claimed U.S. troops and armor arrived there Tuesday and withdrew after being engaged by Iraqi Army and militia units. The Iraqis also alleged that missiles from Apache helicopters hit residential areas, killing 33 and wounding at least 300. – Associated Press
An Iraqi named Kazem Mohammed was on the road from Nasiriyah with 14 family members at the time of the explosions. He said 11 were killed when the car they were traveling in was hit and that the dead included six of his children. – Associated Press
Marines today patrolled the outskirts of Hilla. – New York Times
Near the town of Diwaniya, marines from the Eleventh Regiment fired today on Iraqi positions. – New York Times
Farther To The East And South Of Kut
About 75 miles east southeast of Diwaniyah, elements of the 1st Marine Division looked north to Kut. Iraqi troops were believed to be deployed there. – Associated Press
Earlier in the week, a journalist reported that the 1st Marines were welcomed as "liberators" in Qalat Sukkar, where they secured an important air base and townspeople led them to a huge cache of weapons. – Associated Press
First Marine Division, in central Iraq, April 1 — "This is it," said Brig. Gen. John F. Kelly, assistant commander of the First Marine Division. By midnight long dark rows of war machines — amphibious personnel carriers, light reconnaissance vehicles, and humvees mounted with rockets — stretched for miles north along Route 7. Ahead lay the Tigris River, the strategic city of Kut, 100 miles south of Baghdad, and the Republican Guard's Baghdad Division. Third Infantry Battalion of the First Regimental Combat Team involved. The plan was for the Army's Third Infantry Division to come through the Karbala gap supplemented with elements of the Army's 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions. First Marine Division was to continue north on Highway 7 and engage the Iraqis at Kut. Third Marine Aircraft Wing has been pounding the Republican Guard division for the last four days. Monday in the village of Shatrah, on Route 7 north of Nasiriya, local people pointed out large stores of ammunition and the local Baath Party operatives and their headquarters. - John Kifner, New York Times
Several thousand marines positioned south of Baghdad were veering east and pushing toward the Tigris River to confront a Republican Guard division reported to be massing southeast of the capital. – Thomas Fuller, International Herald Tribune
“Tribesmen'' had taken part in an attack with troops from the First Marine Expeditionary Force near the towns of Diwaniya and Shatra – Thomas Fuller, International Herald Tribune
BBC 0037: US military sources say US ground forces have begun a major engagement against the Medina and Baghdad divisions of the Iraqi Republican Guard south of Baghdad.