US troops used tanks, artillery and helicopters in a battle with an Iraqi force of about 1,500 men overnight near the town of Najaf in central Iraq, military sources confirmed yesterday.
The sources had no information on possible casualties in the fighting between the Iraqis and US brigades, which are trying to advance north along the west bank of the Euphrates river towards Baghdad.
Iraq said cluster-bombing by US-led forces had killed 26 civilians in Najaf and wounded 60 there by last night.
The sources said the US forces used tanks, artillery and Apache helicopters against the Iraqis.
"There was a lot of bangs and whistles, but everything seems to have been taken care of," Capt Alex Deraney of the 535th Engineers said.
It was not clear whether the Iraqis were regular troops or elite Republican Guards. The Iraqi forces, armed with artillery, were moving from a position northeast of Najaf (about 160 km south of Baghdad) when they were detected.
"The battle raged for a few hours. It finished about 3 a.m.," (midnight GMT), according to a Reuters reporter in the area. Half of the US troops in the vicinity were put on guard during the confrontation against a usual 25 per cent.
Iraqi Information Minister Mr Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf told a news conference in Baghdad the US forces had retreated about 50 km away from Najaf.
"The enemy hit civilian areas in Najaf before our valiant forces successfully beat them back. Until last night, the toll from this bombing was 60 wounded and 26 martyrs," he said.
Senior US commanders said yesterday they expect a decisive battle near Karbala, a Shia holy city about 50 km north of Najaf, possibly within the next 48 to 72 hours.
They said a full Iraqi brigade of around 6,000 men, including tanks, had taken up position around Karbala.
Some were from the Medina division of the Republican Guard, loyal to President Saddam Hussein, and others were regular army troops, they said.
Reporter Andrew Gray, travelling with a unit of the US 3rd Infantry Division in another part of the Najaf region, said he had heard some mortar fire overnight but that there were no big clashes in his area.
"Officers said there were two airstrikes on suspected Fedayeen militia targets in Najaf," he said. - (Reuters)