US aircraft and artillerypounded government buildings in Baghdad today as tanksbattled Iraqi forces and moved to expand their control of thecity centre beyond a base in a presidential palace.
"It's raining bombs," said Reuters correspondent Ms SamiaNakhoul.
"They're targeting the same area over and over. The place isshaking and there's smoke rising," she said from a vantage pointon the Tigris River less than a mile away.
On the 20th day of the US-led war to oust Iraqi PresidentSaddam Hussein, the air attack was concentrated on an areabetween the Jumhuriya Bridge and Iraq's Information ministry.
Half a dozen blasts shook the area where Iraqi televisionand radio are also located, as well as Shabad Television, whichis owned by Saddam's son Uday, and Al-Jazeera and Abu Dhabitelevision.
Al-Jazeera said that its office was hit by an Americanmissile and one of its cameramen, Tarek Ayoub, was killed.
Iraq domestic television went dark after the attack.
From the roof of the Palestine hotel, Reuters correspondentMr Hassan Hafidh said flames poured from buildings and thick blacksmoke hung over the western part of the city.
He said he could see US tanks, which burst into the citycentre yesterday, moving towards the Information Ministry fromthe southwest.