US troops have pushed into the centre of the holy Shi'ite Muslimcity of Kerbala today after vicious battles with Iraqiparamilitaries threatening US supply lines north to Baghdad.
In blistering heat, US Army tanks rumbled through thedusty streets and armed reconnaissance helicopters passed lowover rooftops, identifying sniper positions for artillery unitsto target.
On the ground, army troops took cover in doorways andagainst walls as they moved past Iraqi corpses, some blown tobits by artillery fire, across the city centre.
Dozens of Iraqis and one US soldier were killed in intensefighting on Saturday and overnight, but resistance was weaker today and US forces appeared to have wrestled control fromFedayeen paramilitaries loyal to President Saddam Hussein.
By early afternoon the city was relatively quiet."I think they took a look at what happened yesterday anddecided to back off," said Captain James McGahey of theScreaming Eagles 101st Airborne Division which led the USthrust to the city centre.
There was still some resistance throughout Sunday morning.Heavy gunfire erupted when suspected paramilitaries popped up onrooftops or out from doorways of narrow garbage-filled streets.
"I don't think they stand a chance, to be honest, because wejust have overwhelming firepower. But they've certainly gotballs, you have to say that," said Army Staff Sergeant ToddMorton, who shot dead an Iraqi guerrilla as he tried to jumpinto a defensive bunker.
Sweat poured off the US troops as they sprinted acrossintersections and ducked behind walls under a baking sun.
"We're not used to this type of environment. The heat outhere, it's just ungodly," said Staff Sergeant Travis May.
The American thrust into Kerbala came as advance US forcestightened their grip around Baghdad, 110 km (70 miles) to thenorth, on the 18th day of a war to overthrow Saddam.
It followed a similar US sweep through Najaf, another holyShi'ite Muslim city in central Iraq, to root out paramilitariesand other fighters loyal to Saddam who could threaten long USsupply lines stretching up from the south.
On Saturday night US forces pounded Iraqi positions withartillery fire. Iraqis fired back with rocket-propelledgrenades, mortar and AK-47 rifles.
"They certainly are persistent. These guys will take ourfire, wait for us and when we're underneath their positionsthey'll fire straight at our turrets," said US SergeantJeremiah Sample from the 1st Armoured Division.
Sample was lightly wounded by shrapnel on Saturday as hestuck his hand out of a Bradley fighting vehicle to pull in awounded soldier.
In the city centre families cowered in mud and brick homes.Hundreds of people gathered on street corners and in doorways,wordlessly watching the slow American advance.
Some children were out playing in the street, running bydead bodies and pools of blood where fighters had been killedand their bodies dragged away during the night.
Najaf and Kerbala, home to the holiest Shi'ite shrines inIraq, rose up against Baghdad in 1991 after Iraqi troops wererepulsed from Kuwait by US -led forces. Forces loyal to Saddamput down the uprising within weeks.