Basra is cut off but 'guerrillas' slow allied use of key harbour

Hundreds of Iraqi soldiers have surrendered, but others are shedding their uniforms to take on British forces in the streets of Umm Qasr

British forces spearheading the battle for Basra were hoping last night that Iraq's second city would fall without great bloodshed.

But while hundreds of Iraqi troops surrendered on the outskirts, and some were reported to have applauded the invading armies, others were putting up fierce resistance. US Marines were engaged in what they described as a "major battle" west of the city, and at least three were reported wounded.

Plumes of black smoke engulfed the city as Iraqi troops set fire to at least six oil wells in the vast oilfields around Basra. The British forces managed to secure most of them before they could be set alight.

Earlier, American forces captured the airport on the northern edge of Basra, while jets bombed bridges being held by Iraqi tanks. One was taken, but others were still in Iraqi hands, and US and British forces came under artillery fire as they moved up Highway 80 south of Basra. "There was a decent amount of resistance," said US Marine Lt Eric Gentrup.

US forces then pressed northwards towards Baghdad, leaving the British on the outskirts of Basra. But there was no attempt to storm the city, which would pose the risk of being drawn into urban warfare. Instead there were hopes that the city's surrender could be negotiated.

"Basra is not in itself a military objective," said Col Chris Vernon, a British Army spokesman. The strategy appears to be to seal off the city of 1.3 million people, considered a key strategic marshalling point on the route to Baghdad, rather than seize it.

In an ominous development, it emerged that British troops who secured the port of Umm Qasr are encountering pockets of "guerrilla" fighters, holed up and switching from uniform to civilian clothes and back to confuse the allied forces.

The tactics, which have led to the toughest fighting in the war so far, have slowed up the invading troops more than they anticipated.

While allied forces have subdued much of the town and dealt with most of the defences, there are still small numbers of "brave young lads" shooting at the invading soldiers, Col Vernon said.

"There's a bit of a fight in Umm Qasr. It's not serious military resistance, but a group of determined men are armed with firearms and RPGs [rocket propelled grenades] ­ in and out of uniform and back again. It's very easy to defend a town and a dockyard," he said. "As soon as they sense any sign of a serious force ... they give up. We have taken about 100 POWs."

He said the experience of the street fighting in Umm Qasr reinforced the case against urban warfare, indicating that the troops would not get bogged down in situations that would detract from the main mission ­ toppling Saddam Hussein. Asked whether this meant troops would not fight for the Iraqi capital, he said it was possible they could wait for the Iraqi regime to fall apart.

"Military commanders do not engage in urban areas unless they have to," Col Vernon said. "It was necessary in Qasr because of the port."

In Basra, hundreds of Iraqi soldiers have surrendered. The Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon, confirmed that regular Iraqi forces had withdrawn from Basra, but added that elements of Saddam's security forces were still fighting.

BBC correspondent David Willis saw hundreds of soldiers lined up along the roadside in Basra having ranks and identities checked and their weapons confiscated.

Some 8,000 British troops in 120 tanks and 145 armoured vehicles had moved into southern Iraq from Kuwait to support US forces heading to Basra, British officials said.

British soldiers and US Marines have been pushing into south-eastern Iraq for several days, since British forces secured a foothold on the Al-Faw peninsula. From there they pushed into Umm Qasr and the surrounding oilfields.

Col Vernon said the British 16th Air Assault Brigade and the 7th Armoured Brigade ­ the Desert Rats ­ had also moved north to reinforce troops pushing towards Baghdad. The 16th was taking control of the Rumeila oilfields while the 7th was taking charge of POWs from the Iraqi 51st Infantry Division.

The 51st Infantry Division ­ some 8,000 soldiers and about 200 tanks ­ was regarded as one of the better units in Iraq's regular army.