Troops could be in Baghdad in 'three to four days'

As Allied troops established their positions throughout the day, one British military spokesman said they could be on the streets of Baghdad within three to four days.

In London, Admiral Michael Boyce said progress so far had been “promising” adding: “I think our people have performed admirably on land, on sea and in the air and I am very encouraged by the start we have made.”

As troops took control of much of southern Iraq, the dash towards Baghdad was led by the US 3rd Infantry Division.

Their swift advance was halted when they ran into resistance near Nassiriya on the Euphrates river, about 250 miles south of the capital.

Britain's Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said “good progress” had been made overnight in securing the Al Faw peninsula, and Royal Marines had confirmed that the oil infrastructure close to the Kuwaiti border had not been destroyed.

“Any attempt by Saddam Hussein to release oil into the Gulf to create an environmental disaster has been thwarted,” said Mr Hoon.

Meanwhile, investigations were continuing into the helicopter crash which killed eight British commandos and four US servicemen.

Speaking in Brussels, British Prime Minister Tony Blair paid tribute to the troops saying they were brave men who had given their lives to make British people’s lives safer.

“I would like to express my personal condolences and those of the [British] government to the servicemen who were killed in the helicopter crash overnight,” he said.

“These were brave men who in order to make us safer and more secure, knew the risks, faced the risks and had the courage to serve their country and the wider world.

“We owe them an enormous debt of gratitude and our thoughts and prayers are with their families.”