Northern Iraq: The northern city of Mosul was under aerial bombardment early Monday morning, al-Jazeera TV channel reported.

The northern city of Kirkuk came under heavy bombings Sunday evening.

Some 300 US special troops were airdropped late Sunday at Sulaimaniya airport, north of Iraq, in preparation for an offensive on Baghdad from the north, Egypt's state MENA news agency said.

US warplanes bombed Iraqi positions near Khanaqin, northeast Baghdad.

Despite the heavy setback, US-British ground troops have reportedly fought within 160 kilometers of Baghdad.

Southern Iraq: fierce fighting between US-British ground troops and resisting Iraqi forces raged on in the mid-Euphrates region south of Baghdad. The US military has admitted that they have met with the toughest resistance yet from the Iraqi forces ever since the war broke out on Thursday.

US and British tank units advancing on Basra said the city was not yet secured.

Fighting continued at Umm Qasr, where US troops failed to defeat the Iraqi Republican Guards.

Central Iraq: US ground forces near Najaf, some 160 kilometers south of Baghdad, met resistance thought to be from the Medina Division of Republican Guards.

(Xinhua News Agency March 24, 2003)