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| BATTLES |
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 • U.S.-led coalition forces killed an estimated 150 to 200 Iraqis Tuesday in a land battle -- possibly the biggest firefight of the war -- in the Euphrates Valley east of Najaf, Pentagon officials said. Full Story
• Farther south, bloody battles were also being waged in the city of Nasiriya, with machine gun fire, mortars, and helicopter units involved. It was the third consecutive day U.S. Marines have battled Iraqi forces for control of the city, which is located along a key north-south route. Full Story
• Marines also seized a hospital in Nasiriya and captured nearly 170 Iraqi soldiers who had been staging military operations from the facility -- a move U.S. officials said clearly violates the Geneva Convention.
• British troops turned back a "battalion-sized" counterattack by Iraqi forces Tuesday southeast of Basra and destroyed about 20 armored vehicles, a British military spokesman said. Full Story
Gallery: Photos of war | Video:  U.S. war report
Animation: Battle scenarios
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| AIRSTRIKES |
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 • High winds forced coalition forces to reduce the 1,400 airstrikes in Iraq planned for Tuesday, most of those were focused on Iraq's Republican Guard.
• With U.S. soldiers less than 60 miles from Baghdad, coalition planes and helicopters pounded Iraqi positions to clear a path toward the capital. Explosions continued to rock Baghdad Tuesday morning, with at least five waves of bombings hitting since darkness fell on the city. Full Story
• Coalition airstrikes also hit the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Full Story
• A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter fired at a Patriot battery early Monday, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday. No soldiers were injured or killed in the strike.
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| CASUALTIES |
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 • Coalition deaths in the Iraq war now total 43.
Killed in Action: List of coalition fatalities
• Iraq has reported 78 civilian deaths since Monday as a result of bombing raids. Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saaef al Sahaf 16 people were killed late Monday evening and early Tuesday morning in the coalition bombing of Baghdad. CNN cannot independently verify Iraq's figures.
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| WEAPONS |
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 Munitions, aircraft and ground weapons used in U.S.-led attacks
Apache attack helicopter | A-10 Thunderbolt
More weapons |
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| ON THE SCENE |
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Vinci: Sandstorms and friendly fire
Rodgers: Quick battlefield decisions
Tuchman: Republican Guard is target
Penhaul: Iraqis thwart U.S. copter mission
Sites: Bombing in northern Iraq
More On the Scene reports |
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• Senior British military officials said early Tuesday the city of Basra has become a "legitimate military target" so that coalition forces can wear down Iraqi forces and "facilitate humanitarian aid for its citizens." 
Explore U.S. war plans and tactics
