A column of about 4,000 United States marines has broken through heavy resistance and after two days of fighting, have crossed the Euphrates River in the city of Nasiriya, resuming their advance on Baghdad.

The troops met strong resistance, in fighting which left 10 US soldiers dead and 16 missing.
"Driving in along the main road you could see four, five, six or seven totally disabled marine vehicles and moving further into the city and beyond, it was awash with US marines in heavy armour, manning security checkpoints and stopping anyone the least bit suspicious," CNN correspondent Art Harris who is with the US 2nd Marines travelling through Nasiriya said, quoted by ABC News.

Harris said the war had become "very untraditional", with the Iraqi troops not wearing uniforms.

"They are in robes and when they are stopped, they are often carrying bags and in those bags there are uniforms and now they are trying to figure out who is friend and who is foe," he said.