US and British forces fighting in Iraq aim to reach Baghdad as quickly as possible, the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair said this afternoon, adding that they were nearing a crucial confrontation.
"The vital goal is to reach Baghdad as swiftly as possible, thus bringing the end of the regime closer," Mr Blair said in his first statement to the House of Commons since the war began.
"Coalition forces led by the American 5th Corps are on the way to Baghdad. As we speak, they are about 60 miles south of Baghdad near Karbala," he said. "It is a little way from there that they will encounter the Medina Division of the Republican Guard...This will be a crucial moment."
Mr Blair told MPs that while the strategic southern Iraqi city of Basra was surrounded, there remained pockets of Saddam's security services who are holding out. He said the international airport in the city had been "made secure".
"The western desert is largely secure. In the north, there have been air attacks on regime targets in Mosul, Kirkuk and Kikrit," he said.
"We've been in constant contact with the Turkish government and Kurdish authorities to urge calm," he added. Both Washington and London have urged Ankara not to send troops into northern Iraq, for fear of clashes with Kurdish forces there.
In his statement, Mr Blair also told the Commons: "I should like to place on record what I know will be the heartfelt gratitude of the entire House for the valour of British servicemen and women.
"I send the deepest sympathy of the Government and the whole House to the families of those who have died. They gave their lives for our safety.
"They had the courage to take the ultimate risk in the service of their country and of those who value freedom everywhere in the world. We owe them an immense debt."
He also offered condolences to the families of American personnel lost in recent days.
Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith also paid tribute to the allied troops who had been killed and said the war was never going to be easy, but the "cause is just".