'Dramatic' progress made - Franks

US-led coalition forces are making “rapid and in some cases dramatic” progress in Iraq but have also met sporadic resistance, US General Tommy Franks said today.

Saddam Hussein’s command and control network was still working but was damaged, he said.

“The command and control network is much less robust than it was five days ago. They still do have a means of communication,” said Franks, who is commanding the overall war effort.

Even though Saddam was able to issue instructions to his followers, “many orders which have been given by this regime have not been obeyed by a great number of his subordinates,” he said.

Franks confirmed that coalition forces, including Australian and British special forces, were operating “left to right, top to bottom” in the north and west Iraq.

“They have accomplished some wonderful things out there,” he said, but gave no details.

He said US forces had “intentionally bypassed enemy formations,” but added that Fedayeen, the Baath Party paramilitary organisation, had been harassing the US and British rear in southern Iraq.

Reacting to battles yesterday in which about 20 US forces personnel were killed or missing as a result of ambushes and a fake surrender, Franks said:

“We know that the Fedayeen has in fact put itself in a position to mill about, to create difficulties in rear areas, and I can assure you that contact with those forces is not unexpected.”

Franks said cleaning up the bypassed forces would take some time “across the days”.

In the campaign against Saddam’s regime, Franks said forces had captured 3,000 prisoners.

Franks accused the Iraqis of criminal behaviour in using civilians as human shields, intentionally placing them next to military equipment and formations as a deterrent to US and British attacks.

Franks acknowledged an attack helicopter operating south of Baghdad was missing with its two-man crew.

Iraqi TV today showed pictures of the craft sitting in a field and said it was 50 miles south of the capital.

The television said the heavily armed craft was shot out of the air by Kalashnikov-toting peasants.

“I know with some precision how many helicopters were shot down and ... those events did not occur as a result of farmers,” Franks said.

There was no sign of any damage to the helicopter, which appeared to have made a hard landing because of mechanical difficulties. Iraqi television said two helicopters were brought down.

Franks said he could not provide an update on the condition of US prisoners of war. About 12 US soldiers were missing after an Army supply convoy was ambushed yesterday when it made a wrong turn near Nasiriyah.