Contact Admin. Tanks and Apache helicopters are being used to try to dislodge the enemy force, consisting of fighters from the Fedayeen - a group of Saddam Hussein's fanatically loyal paramilitaries - and armed Ba'ath party loyalists from Baghdad.
But so far civilians appear wary of launching an uprising while there are still a large number of Fedayeen commandos in the city, which lies miles south of Baghdad. Earlier, RFE's correspondent at Samawah reported mortar fire against US troops by the Iraqi paramilitaries, who were able to approach American positions undetected because of a fierce dust storm.
Samawah is on the west side of the Euphrates, in a strategic transport corridor that US forces secured at the weekend and have been using to push combat troops and their logistical support towards Baghdad. American forces in southern Iraq today said they were expecting the biggest battle so far on the road to Baghdad, Reuters reported. Some of the US troops are spending today's "downtime" washing, playing music and preparing themselves for what commanders describe as the "decisive battle" ahead.
It is expected to kick off within 48 and 72 hours. They are expecting heavy fighting with Iraq's Republican Guard near the Shi'ite holy city of Kerbala, south west of Baghdad, as US forces follow the Euphrates river north towards the capital.
It's being reinforced and it's fairly well defended. A full Iraqi brigade of around 6, men, including tanks, had taken up position around the city, US officers said. Some were from the Medina division of the elite Republican Guard and others were regular army troops. Some 15, coalition forces, including three brigades of the US 3rd Infantry Division, are heading north towards Baghdad. Most of the first and second brigades are already up near Najaf, while the third has been tackling Iraqi resistance further south.
