American and British forces have taken Basra, Iraq's second largest city. "Hundreds" of soldiers surrendered, the BBC reports. The rest folded after a day-long siege.
Basra has had a long history of animosity towards Saddam's regime. The city rose in revolt after the first Gulf War in 1991.
CNN reports that near the city, "demolition teams from the 1st Battalion of the 7th Marines were using anti-armor TOW missiles, grenades and other explosives to blow up abandoned Iraqi T-55 battle tanks and armored personnel carriers hidden in earthen berms."
U.S. forces immediately went on the move after capturing Basra, rolling towards Baghdad.
THERE'S MORE: Two British Royal Navy Sea King Mark 7 helicopters have collided, killing all six British servicemen and an American officer on board. The incident happened a day after 12 soldiers died when a U.S. CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed in northern Kuwait.
The Sea Kings -- based aboard the HMS Ark Royal, an Invincible-class aircraft carrier -- are surveillance craft. They're designed to protect ships by keeping tabs on low-flying aircraft ducking beneath conventional radar.
AND MORE: The Iraqis are burning huge pools of oil on the outskirts of Baghdad, according to the BBC. They're hoping to confuse incoming fighters and missiles with the smoke billowing from the oil fires.
© Copyright 2024 Military.com. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request here.
