"The coalition forces have engaged Republican Guard Medina Division troops with attack helicopters as the coalition ground forces continue their attack towards Baghdad," said Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

US army's Third Infantry Division has moved to within 50 miles of Baghdad, but they "have not gotten into direct firefights with Republican Guard forces," he told a Pentagon briefing.

McChrystal told reporters that the coalition air forces flew more than a thousand sorties in the past 24 hours and dropped more than 2,000 precision-guided munitions since the beginning of the war.

"Airstrikes continue to focus on key regime leadership targets, to suppress ballistic missile threats, to degrade Republican Guardand Special Republican Guard units, to support Special Operations forces and to strike targets of opportunity as they arise," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 25, 2003)