WAR ON IRAK

Pakistan Dawn: Coalition forces bogged down at Basra, Nasiriyah: •Progress made on other fronts•US Apache helicopter downed

NASIRIYAH, March 24 (alt): US and British forces were bogged down in fierce battles for the strategic southern Iraqi cities of Nasiriyah and Basra on Monday , despite reassurances from their top commander that they were in fact making "rapid" progress towards Baghdad.

On the fifth day of the US-led invasion, the series of setbacks for the coalition invasion piled up with a climbing body count, tough resistance from fighters and civilians loyal to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and confirmation that a US Apache attack helicopter had been downed south of the Iraqi capital.

British forces assaulting Basra were forced to withdraw to regroup after coming under attack by mortars and by guerillas disguised in civilian clothes. The brigade had at one point surrounded the city. But, with the 180,000-strong Anglo-American force pushing forward in a multi-pronged strategy that involved leapfrogging many points of opposition, there was some progress on other fronts.