NEAR BAGHDAD, Apr 5 (Reuters) US tanks pushed into Southern Baghdad today in the closest land advance to the heart of the Iraqi capital since the US-led war started 17 days ago, military sources said.
At least 20 abrams battle tanks and 10 bradley fighting vehicles rumbled up the main Southern highway into Baghdad on a reconnaissance mission through the dawra suburb about 12-14 km from the centre of the Sprawling capital.
The sources told Reuters correspondent Luke Baker, travelling with the 3rd infantry division which says it captured Baghdad airport on the Southwest of the city yesterday, that the tanks had reached a loop in the Tigris river.
"It seems that they are moving to link up with forces near the airport," Baker said.
Baghdad airport is about 20 km to the Southwest of the city centre.
"They are trying to cut off highway 8 (leading into Baghdad).
And they are turning west towards the airport," he said.
There was no immediate word on any resistance or casualties from the mission.
US and British forces fear that they could be sucked into bloody street-by-street fighting in the city of five million.
Baker said that the tanks were a task force of two companies a company usually has about 14 tanks.
US forces reinforced the airport overnight, the biggest prize in the 17-day assault aimed at ousting Saddam and ridding Baghdad of alleged weapons of mass destruction.
Iraq denies possessing such weapons.
US military officials that there was no sign of a "non-conventional" attack on the airport overnight as threatened yesterday by Iraq's information minister.
"They can throw whatever they like at US but they're not going to defeat US," said Colonel John Peabody, commander of the Engineer Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division.
Saddam loyalists in Basra want to surrender: paper BAGHDAD, Apr 5 (Reuters) Leaders of president Saddam Hussein's ruling Baath party in Iraq's second city Basra want to surrender to British military forces besieging the city, a Pan-Arab newspaper said today.
Asharq Al-Aswat said that Baath party leaders in the city had passed a message to a Shi'ite cleric, Mohammed Al-Bosslimi, saying they were afraid of reprisals from the citizens of Basra and wanted to arrange a surrender if Baghdad fell.
" They are afraid but they say that as soon as Baghdad falls they will surrender," the newspaper quoted the cleric as saying.
It said he had met 12 of the high-ranking leaders of the Baath two days ago.
He said the Baath party leaders could also surrender if US-led forces entered the city.
" The problem is that the hated party members want to be protected from the anger of the public if they give up their weapons," Al-Bosslimi said.
British forces have been besieging the city of 1.5 million almost since the Iraqi war began on March 20.
They had hoped the city's Shi'ite Muslim majority might rise up against forces loyal to Saddam, a Sunni Muslim, as they did in 1991 after the gulf war.
But that rebellion was crushed after hoped-for US support never came and analysts say locals are too unsure of the future to risk another uprising.
Instead, British forces have adopted a tactic of brief incursionsinto the city to try to target Saddam loyalists and gunmen.