Reuters
Thursday, April 3, 2003; 9:45 PM
NEAR BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Friday that 320 Iraqi troops had been killed so far in the battle for the Saddam International Airport.
U.S. forces engaged Iraqi troops on Thursday evening in the first ground battle of Baghdad since the war began on March 20 to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Fighting continued at dawn on Friday.
The U.S. military's battle damage assessment report said the 320 troops were "dismounts" or armed soldiers on foot.
U.S. military officials said 31 pieces of anti-aircraft artillery, three armored troop carriers, 23 trucks, one piece of field artillery and an ammunition truck had been seized or destroyed in the fighting.
