US warplanes hammered Iraqi positions southwest of Baghdad, dropping 1,000-pound bombs on an area believed held by a crack-armoured division of the Republican Guard.
F/A-18 Hornet and F-14 Tomcat fighters from this US Navy aircraft carrier yesterday bombed targets including tanks, helicopters and "a building" between the city of Karbala and Baghdad, officers said on Friday.
Lieutenant Junior Grade Nicole Kratzer said the planes dropped a mixture of 16 1,000-pound laser-guided bombs, four satellite-guided bombs and three 1,000-pound unguided dumb bombs. She gave no further details.
The Republican Guard's Medina division is believed to be located around Karbala, a Shiite Muslim holy city about 80 kilometres south of Baghdad.
The US Army's Third Infantry Division, backed by the 101st Airborne Division and its Apache attack helicopters, has been gearing for a major push on Karbala on its way toward Baghdad.