The leader of President Saddam Hussein's Baath party in Najaf had been killed in the clashes, the report added. The name of the party leader was not released.

Ground fighting has been reported in Najaf, the closest point to the Iraqi capital, since the US-led invasion on Iraq began Thursday.

The US-British troops continued their fast thrust toward Baghdad Saturday, and have crossed the Euphrates River, the major waterway en route to the Iraq capital.

They have so far made their way 240 km into Iraq, halfway to Baghdad, the Pentagon said Saturday.

Meanwhile, US ships and warplanes stationed in the Gulf region continued their bombing campaign on Iraq, firing 500 cruise missiles and several hundred precision-guided bombs in the past day.

In his first news briefing Saturday in Doha, Qatar, US Army General Tommy Franks, who is commander of the invasion, said his forces were using munitions on a "scale never before seen" and confidently predicted that victory was certain.

Defying international opposition, the United States and Britain launched its war against Iraq early Thursday under the name of toppling Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction.

Iraq has denounced the US and British invaders as "criminals" and "villains," while calling for the international community to stop the aggression "unconditionally".

(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2003)