MILITARY ACTION
U.S. and British forces made steady but unspectacular progress Monday, moving to within 50 miles of Saddam Hussein's stronghold before stopping in the face of dwindling supplies and bad weather.
Two members of an American helicopter crew in the Army's 101st Airborne Division were captured after a large-scale engagement with Iraq's Republican Guard. The Pentagon confirmed that the helicopter crewmen were taken as prisoners of war, bringing to seven the number of known POWs.
U.S. strategists were finally able to take advantage of Turkey's limited cooperation. Bombers headed for Iraq -- via Turkish airspace -- from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman.
CASUALTIES
A British soldier died in action in southern Iraq. No other details were available, but it brought the United Kingdom's death toll in the conflict to 17.
A U.S. soldier of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force died after a vehicle accident at Camp Commando in Kuwait. Three others were injured.
Casualties to date (approximate)
U.S. military: 25 dead
British military: 17 dead
In Baghdad: No report available Monday from the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Journalists: 2 dead, 2 missing
ELSEWHERE OVERSEAS
In London, government officials and business leaders expressed concern that they might miss out on valuable postwar reconstruction contracts because of an American law that puts other nations' companies at a disadvantage. This would be a bitter blow to Britain, which has aided the war effort with 25,000 troops.
In Ankara, Turkey, negotiations about the possible deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq continued with an American special envoy. The United States and NATO allies want Turkey to keep its military out of Iraq, fearing a clash with Kurds who are aiding the coalition against Saddam. Turkey contends that it needs troops in Iraq to protect its interests.
In al Ruweishid, Jordan, a refugee camp ready to house thousands was virtually empty. Aid officials had expected 600,000 people to leave Iraq at the beginning of the war, heading for Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan or Syria. But some Iraqis, apparently heartened by the early stages of the war, are returning home after leaving earlier. During the 1991 Persian Gulf War, 1.8 million Iraqis fled.
WASHINGTON
Washington and Moscow continued their debate over Iraq . President Bush complained to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russian companies are selling war materials to Iraq. Putin warned that the United States could be helping to cause a humanitarian crisis in the war zone.
A taped speech by Saddam broadcast on Iraqi television could have been made in recent days or longer ago than that, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. "It would not be a surprise if Saddam Hussein had some time ago put in the can numerous statements designed to be released later," Fleischer said.
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