Officials: Republican Guard not beaten yet

Some of the veteran Iraqi Republican Guard units were moving out of the capital towards the approaching Americans, Pentagon officials said.

All six Republican Guard divisions have been bombed, some as they moved to Baghdad from northern Iraq to reinforce the capital city’s defences.

Two of the divisions no longer exist as cohesive fighting forces, according to Brig Gen Vincent Brooks, deputy director of operations at US Central Command headquarters in Qatar.

Of the four other divisions, two are significantly damaged and two more were thought to have around 70% of their original strength, one US defence official said.

The lack of a northern front – owing to Turkey’s refusal to allow US troops to pass through – has allowed the Iraqis to shift many of their forces to south of Baghdad, officials said.

Many of the surviving divisions – which started the war with between 10,000 and 12,000 troops each – have positioned themselves between Baghdad and the two-pronged American advance.

Beyond those, Iraqi light infantry and paramilitary forces await in the capital city.

Routed during recent fighting were the Medina Armoured Division, Iraq’s best, and the Baghdad Infantry Division, officials said.

The Medina Division arrayed near Karbala, almost due south of Baghdad, was bombed heavily before the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division finished it off early yesterday.

The Baghdad Division, guarding a second approach to the capital in the city of Kut to the south-east, was considered wiped out early yesterday following air strikes and assaults led by US Marines.

To the north is the Nebuchadnezzar Infantry Division, which began the war in northern Iraq but was rushed south in recent days.

It was bombed but remains at 70% fighting effectiveness. Some elements of the Nebuchadnezzar division are fighting American troops north of Karbala.

Beyond is the Hammurabi Armoured Division, which has moved from north-west of Baghdad to just south of the city. It has been bombed heavily and lost a considerable amount of its fighting capability.

The Marines now face the Al Nida Armoured Division, arrayed south-east of Baghdad. It is believed to be at 70% fighting strength after Allied bombing.

The sixth division, the Adnan Mechanised Division, now guards Baghdad’s northern and western approaches. Before the war, the unit moved from far northern Iraq to Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit. It has suffered considerable losses from bombing, a defence official said.

Other Iraqi fighting forces include:

:: The Special Republican Guard: This unit, separate from the Republican Guard, is an elite light infantry force based deep inside Baghdad. It had between 10,000 and 15,000 troops when the war began. It also has a presence in Tikrit.

:: The Special Security Organisation: The Iraqi regime’s chief internal security agency, the SSO can muster between 6,000 and 8,000 paramilitary fighters, most of them based in Baghdad.

:: Saddam’s Fedayeen: Paramilitaries capable of guerilla-style fighting, Fedayeen irregulars are operating around southern Iraq in small groups, carrying out attacks on US forces and pushing other Iraqi units to fight. They number around 25,000 fighters. The Pentagon says these troops are using human shields and committing other war crimes.

:: Iraq’s regular army and air force: US troops have bypassed most of the regular Iraqi army forces, although a few units in southern Iraq have put up a fight. The air force has thus far sat out the war.