20 miles from Baghdad

So much for the four to six day pause. Now were hitting them with both fists.

American armoured forces charged to within 20 miles of the southern edge of Baghdad this afternoon. The rapid advance came after US Brigadier General Vincent Brooks claimed an entire division of the Republican Guard – the Baghdad Division – had been “destroyed”.

Success on two fronts earlier today at key cities south of Baghdad was followed by a rapid “rolling attack” on two other Iraqi divisions, the Medina and the Nebuchadnezzar.

Military chiefs in Qatar predicted that allied forces could even seize the chance to reach the outskirts of the capital tonight, depending on the strength of Iraqi opposition.