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DOHA, Qatar (Reuters) - U.S. forces moved to within 19 miles of the southern edge of Baghdad on Wednesday as troops launched coordinated attacks on two fronts against Iraq's Republican Guard. Following are comments from defense experts who were asked whether they believed U.S.-led forces had started a final push on Baghdad, or whether the forces would wait for reinforcements to shore up supply lines. PAUL BEAVER, FORMER PUBLISHER OF JANE'S DEFENSE WEEKLY "There is not a final push or even a first push. There is not a push to invade Baghdad... It is a standard operation -- they want...

It came as a surprise—presumably no less to Iraqi commanders than to American commentators—when the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division and the 1st Marine Division launched their final push toward Baghdad Tuesday night, aiming to punch through the Republican Guard's most built-up defenses. The surprise was that the move came before U.S. reinforcements, especially from the 4th Infantry Division, had arrived in the field. The concern is whether a mere two divisions, plus elements from the 101st Airborne and the 2nd Armored, can do the job. The good news, though, is that the Republican Guards aren't very good and never...

U.S. forces ‘threatening’ Baghdad April 2 — Having demolished two top Republican Guard divisions and badly damaged a third, U.S. troops were within 30 miles of Baghdad and were “threatening the core of the regime” of Saddam Hussein, Pentagon officials said Wednesday. The advances brought the troops well within the “red zone” around the capital, where Iraqi forces were said to be prepared to use banned chemical weapons, and soldiers were donning protective suits as they continued to advance. AT A PENTAGON briefing, Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal said that a weeklong allied bombing campaign followed by overwhelming ground attacks had...

<p>U.S. forces advanced even closer to Baghdad Wednesday, wiping out one Republican Guard division and nearly destroying another as they geared up for an all-out assault on the Iraqi capital.</p> <p>Some American units are reportedly within 19 miles of Baghdad, while others are within 30.</p>

SOUTH OF BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. forces smashed through elite Iraqi divisions to within 19 miles of Baghdad on Wednesday, using fearsome air power to back the swiftest advance of the war to oust President Saddam Hussein. U.S. Marines seized a vital bridge over the Tigris River and then raced along its northern bank toward the Iraqi capital, while the 3rd Infantry Division thrust northward after encircling the Shi'ite Muslim shrine city of Kerbala. A military source told a Reuters correspondent with the Third Infantry that vanguard units were just 19 miles from the southern edges of the capital....

U.S. Closes to Within 30 Miles of Baghdad By MATT KELLEY .c The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S.-led forces advancing on Baghdad have moved to within 30 miles of the Iraqi capital, a top U.S. general said Wednesday. Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal told a Pentagon briefing that resistance from Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard was ``sporadic, but not able to stop coalition maneuvers.'' Two top Republican Guard units - the Medina and Baghdad divisions - are ``no longer credible forces,'' said McChrystal, vice director of joint operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Still, he said, ``tough fighting lies ahead.''...

Biggest push for Baghdad By Bob Graham in Baghdad, David Taylor and Justin Davenport, Evening Standard 2 April 2003 American ground assault forces achieved stunning successes on two fronts in a decisive push for Baghdad today. In the first move, troops completely encircled the city of Karbala, south-west of the capital. And in a separate action to the south-east, US marines fighting the Republican Guard near the city of Kut took a vital bridge over the Tigris, hailed by one senior officer as "the last big bridge we needed" before Baghdad. The successes paved the way for US troops and...

Intense Airstrikes Slam Baghdad, Region By HAMZA HENDAWI .c The Associated Press BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Huge explosions shattered the silence across Baghdad early Wednesday, with blasts rocking the center of the city and a plume of white smoke rising from the southern end of the Old Palace grounds in the capital. More explosions hit Baghdad in the 30 minutes after the first blast at 3 a.m. Afterward, the sound of intermittent explosions and occasional bursts of anti-aircraft fire could be heard in the distance. The Old Palace, the ceremonial seat of government on the west bank of the Tigris,...

LONDON - US-led forces are poised for an "imminent" attack on Baghdad which according to senior military sources at US Central Command in Qatar is likely to begin "within 48 hours," the British press said Wednesday. The "big push" for Baghdad would begin "within 48 hours" with an intensive artillery bombardment supported by close air cover before the main body of troops stepped forward, said The Times. The assault is likely to start to the southwest of Baghdad with an initial strike to breach Iraq's elite Medina division's lines north of Karbala and head on to the capital, it said....