Iraq said on Friday that U.S.- British bombing killed 26 civilians overnight in the central city of Najaf and another seven in Baghdad. Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf said the raids also wounded 60 people in Najaf, and 92 in the capital. He told a Baghdad news conference that 116 people had died and 695 had been injured in the southern city of Basra since the war began.

"The enemy hit civilian areas in Najaf before our valiant forces successfully beat them back. Until last night, the toll from this bombing was 60 wounded and 26 martyrs," Sahaf said.

He also said Iraqi forces destroyed 33 tanks and armored cars and killed four U.S.-British troops on Thursday in fighting in southern Iraq.

A U.S. officer said American brigades advancing on Baghdad battled around 1,500 Iraqis overnight near Najaf, 100 miles south of the capital. Reuters reporter Luke Baker, near Najaf, said U.S. forces used tanks and heavy artillery.

Key Developments Concerning Iraq

British officers said a "couple of thousand" Iraqi civilians tried to flee Basra, which is encircled by British troops, but were forced to return when Iraqi paramilitary forces opened fire with mortars and machine guns.

_ Two 4,700-pound "bunker-buster" bombs were dropped on a communications tower in Baghdad in an intense U.S. bombardment aimed at cutting off Saddam Hussein's commanders from Iraqi forces. They were biggest bombs dropped on Baghdad so far.

_ U.S. Marines and Iraqi forces exchanged tank and artillery fire in the strategic southern city of An Nasiriyah. Several buildings, including the power plant, were ablaze. A Marine was killed in a battle at a cement plant in southern Iraq .

_ With a new front opened by paratroopers in the north, U.S. forces are now poised to move on Baghdad from several directions. But Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said U.S. forces might lay siege to Baghdad in hopes citizens will rise up against the government before American troops have to invade the city of 5 million.

_ Iraq's defense minister declared the Iraqi military will prolong street fighting in Baghdad to make coalition fighters pay a price when they enter the capital.

_ Allies say they have taken more than 4,000 prisoners of war. But U.S. commanders said they were worried that some Iraqi soldiers who had been allowed to return to their homes in Basra are being forced back into service by paramilitary units loyal to Saddam.

_ British Prime Minister Tony Blair said during an interview with BBC radio in London that unseating Saddam will be "tough and difficult."

_ Pentagon officials said about 90,000 U.S. troops were in Iraq, with 100,000 to 120,000 more on the way. Some will be deployed in northern Iraq, where U.S. objectives include seizing the valuable oil fields near the city of Kirkuk.

_ President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged to keep their forces in Iraq however long it takes to overthrow Saddam Hussein. They said the U.N. could help rebuild postwar Iraq, but left uncertain who would create and run a new government.

_ John Negroponte, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations , walked out of a debate on the Iraqi war Thursday after Iraq's ambassador accused Washington of planning the military assault for years. The 15 council members agreed on a draft resolution allowing U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to take control of some aspects of the oil-for-food humanitarian program for 45 days.

British officers said a "couple of thousand" Iraqi civilians tried to flee Basra, which is encircled by British troops, but were forced to return when Iraqi paramilitary forces opened fire with mortars and machine guns.

_ Two 4,700-pound "bunker-buster" bombs were dropped on a communications tower in Baghdad in an intense U.S. bombardment aimed at cutting off Saddam Hussein's commanders from Iraqi forces. They were biggest bombs dropped on Baghdad so far.

_ U.S. Marines and Iraqi forces exchanged tank and artillery fire in the strategic southern city of An Nasiriyah. Several buildings, including the power plant, were ablaze. A Marine was killed in a battle at a cement plant in southern Iraq .

_ With a new front opened by paratroopers in the north, U.S. forces are now poised to move on Baghdad from several directions. But Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said U.S. forces might lay siege to Baghdad in hopes citizens will rise up against the government before American troops have to invade the city of 5 million.

_ Iraq's defense minister declared the Iraqi military will prolong street fighting in Baghdad to make coalition fighters pay a price when they enter the capital.

_ Allies say they have taken more than 4,000 prisoners of war. But U.S. commanders said they were worried that some Iraqi soldiers who had been allowed to return to their homes in Basra are being forced back into service by paramilitary units loyal to Saddam.

_ British Prime Minister Tony Blair said during an interview with BBC radio in London that unseating Saddam will be "tough and difficult."

_ Pentagon officials said about 90,000 U.S. troops were in Iraq, with 100,000 to 120,000 more on the way. Some will be deployed in northern Iraq, where U.S. objectives include seizing the valuable oil fields near the city of Kirkuk.

_ President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged to keep their forces in Iraq however long it takes to overthrow Saddam Hussein. They said the U.N. could help rebuild postwar Iraq, but left uncertain who would create and run a new government.

_ John Negroponte, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations , walked out of a debate on the Iraqi war Thursday after Iraq's ambassador accused Washington of planning the military assault for years. The 15 council members agreed on a draft resolution allowing U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to take control of some aspects of the oil-for-food humanitarian program for 45 days.

PHOTO CAPTION

A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber returning from a mission over Iraq departs after refueling from a KC-10 plane over the Black Sea, Friday, March 28, 2003. The refueling plane belongs to the 409th U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Group which is based in Burgas, Bulgaria. (AP Photo/Jockel Finck)