A column of about 1,000 armored vehicles of the Iraqi elite Republican Guard moved out of Baghdad and headed towards the southern city of Najaf late on Wednesday, the Cable News Network (CNN) quoted US military officials as saying.
The column is "very substantial" and it moved "very rapidly," said a CNN correspondent with the US 7th Calvary Division units, adding that a fierce battle may take place sometime during the night in Najaf, about 160 kilometers south of Baghdad.
The US units have called for strong reinforcement, the correspondent said.
(Xinhua News Agency March 27, 2003)
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