US President George W Bush went on the offensive this evening saying coalition victory is moving closer, "day by day".
Frustrated by media reports that the military campaign has bogged down amid tougher-than-expected resistance and overstretched supply lines, President Bush listed successes for the US-led forces pushing ever-deeper into Iraq.
"It has been 11 days since the major ground war began. In this short time, our troops have performed brilliantly, with skill and with bravery. They make us proud," he said.
US-led forces have taken control of most of western and southern Iraq; seized key bridges; asserted their domination over Iraqi skies; and have begun delivering tonnes of humanitarian aid to Iraq's beleaguered populace, he claimed.
He also said the coalition operation has thwarted Saddam's plans to destroy Iraq's oil fields and taken over Iraqi missile launch areas, said the president, who also delivered a message to people struggling under Saddam's rule.
"We're coming with a mighty force to end the reign of your oppressors. We are coming to bring you food and medicine and a better life. And we are coming and we will not stop, we will not relent until your country is free," he said.
"Many dangers lie ahead, but day by day we are moving closer to Baghdad. Day by day, we are moving closer to victory," he told a crowd of around 1,000 Coast Guard officers and enlisted personnel.
He made the claims as US forces continued its relentless pounding around Baghdad from the ground and the air today. Fierce fighting and stern Iraqi resistance characterised battlea around several urban centres, but Iraqi officials remain defiant.
Iraqi television showed film of Saddam alongside his two sons. It was the first time that his eldest son Uday had been pictured since the war began on March 20th, but it is not clear when the footage was taken. And Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri said: "With every passing day, they are sinking deeper into the mud of defeat and their losses are increasing."
With humanitarian aid just starting to trickle into Iraq, British troops opened the taps on a hastily built water pipeline in the southern port of Umm Qasr - one of the few Iraqi towns the invasion force controls.
Although, the UN food aid agency made its biggest purchase for a humanitarian operation in 10 years, civilian aid workers in Kuwait said it was still too dangerous for them to enter Iraq.
Agencies