The week in review

Key battlefield developments in Iraq during the last week:

*

Sunday March 30

Street fighting

*North

Heavy airstrikes in northern Iraq cause Iraqi troops to curtail their fighting and focus their defense around Kirkuk and Mosul, Iraq’s third-largest city. Kurdish fighters, aided by U.S. forces, push toward the oil fields at Kirkuk and set up a base.

*Central area

In Baghdad, hundreds of bombs and missiles strike military targets, including the Abu Ghraib presidential palace, which is believed to belong to Qusai Hussein, one of Saddam Hussein’s two sons. U.S. troops move to within sight of Karbala, as Republican Guard troops in the area are pounded by U.S. aircraft.

*South

U.S. Marines, backed by Cobra helicopter gunships, are involved in heavy fighting in Nasiriyah against Iraqi irregulars. After a week of shelling the city from the outskirts, British troops bear down on Basra.

*

Monday March 31

Breaking through

*North

Numerous airstrikes by allied bombers in Mosul and other northern cities weaken Iraqi troop positions.

*Central

In fierce fighting along the Euphrates River, allied troops push back Republican Guard units. The pounding, coming within 50 miles of Baghdad, leaves Iraq’s Medina Division, which protects the capital’s southern flank, at less than half strength, a Pentagon official says.

*South

U.S. troops seize more than three dozen buildings containing a large quantity of munitions.

*

Tuesday April 1

Rolling toward Baghdad

*North

Led by an air assault of bombs and cruise missiles, U.S. and Kurdish fighters blow up a training camp belonging to a Muslim extremist group called Ansar al Islam. A “significant number of terrorists” are killed, U.S. military officials say.

*Central

U.S. forces continue toward Baghdad, routing the Medina Division of the Republican Guard. For the first time, U.S. troops break through the so-called red line perimeter, a critical line of Iraqi defense within 50 miles of the capital city.

*South

U.S. special operations troops rescue Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, a 19-year-old soldier who has been held captive for nine days since the convoy she was riding in was attacked near Nasiriyah. She has extensive injuries when found in an Iraqi hospital.

*

Wednesday April 2

Airport takeover

*North

After heavy bombing, Iraqi troops retreat to a ridge along a key road into Mosul. Kurdish fighters, working with U.S. troops, claim territory behind the retreating Iraqis.

*Central

In fierce fighting, U.S. forces reach Saddam International Airport, on the edge of Baghdad. Eventually, more than 300 Iraqi soldiers are killed in the battle. In Najaf, Shiite Muslims are relieved that the revered Mosque of Ali has been spared during three days of heavy fighting.

*South

A Navy F/A-18 Hornet is shot down by a U.S. Patriot missile. It is the second allied plane mistakenly downed by a Patriot during the war.

*

Thursday April 3

Closing in

*North

Retreats by the Iraqis across the northern front allow Kurds and U.S. troops to edge closer to oil-rich Kirkuk and Mosul.

*Central

U.S. soldiers and Marines close in on Baghdad from the southeast and southwest, as resistance by the Republican Guard weakens under pounding from the air and ground.

*South

British forces receive tips from Basra residents about the locations of holdout Saddam Hussein loyalists.

*

Fri. & Sat. April 4 & April 5

Raid on Baghdad

*North

U.S. bombers clear a path for Kurdish forces, allowing them to capture a strategic bridge at Khazar, north of Mosul.

*Central

The U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division secures the Baghdad airport, then makes a foray into the streets of Baghdad, reportedly inflicting heavy casualties on Iraqi defenders. U.S. military officials say the show of force is designed to confuse civilians about their government’s ability to protect the capital.

*South

The Pentagon identifies eight soldiers whose bodies were recovered during the rescue of Pfc. Jessica Lynch in Nasiriyah.

*

Researched by Times graphics reporter Daryl Strickland

#S#

War briefing

Mosul

n Kurdish fighters, supported by U.S. troops, moved to within 20 miles of Mosul and Kirkuk, aided by extensive U.S. bombing.

Baghdad

n Allied warplanes fly over the city without letup to provide cover for U.S. troops pressing into the city.

n Armed Iraqi soldiers, militamen and Saddam Hussein loyalists are seen roaming the streets.

n A large armored column from the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division conducts a reconnaissance in force between the Baghdad airport and the city’s center, killing hundreds of Iraqi troops during heavy fighting.

n Elements of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force begin flanking the southeast sector of the city.

Najaf

n U.S. troops move into center of town to tackle paramilitary fighters.

Basra

n Allied aircraft bomb the house of Ali Hassan Majid, commander of Iraqi forces in the south who is known as “Chemical Ali.”

Zubayr

n British forces find about 400 boxes containing human remains in an abandoned military warehouse.

Sources: Department of Defense; Periscope; Jane’s Defence Weekly; Associated Press

Researched by Times graphics reporter Tom Reinken