War briefing
Baghdad
The 1st Marine Division and the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division launch a two-pronged drive toward Baghdad. The Marines rip through the Iraqi Republican Guard’s Baghdad Division at Al Kut, cross the Tigris River and move toward the capital. The 3rd Infantry Division crosses the “red line” perimeter, putting it within 50 miles of Baghdad. U.S. soldiers fight the Republican Guard’s Medina Division near the Karbala Gap.
Coalition aircraft bomb the presidential compound and the headquarters of Iraq’s Olympic committee, headed by Saddam Hussein’s son Uday.
Northeast
U.S. bombs and cruise missiles destroy a terrorist training camp used by Al Qaeda-linked militants.
Najaf
Marine units fight to isolate Najaf in order to protect U.S. supply lines.
Nasiriyah
Iraqis abandon a police compound outside the city in the wake of fierce fighting.
Basra
Allied warplanes drop 500-pound and 1,000-pound laser-guided bombs on Iraqi intelligence complex.
Sources: Department of Defense; Periscope;Jane’s Defence Weekly; Associated Press. Researched by Times graphics reporter Joel Greenberg
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