US marines and Iraqi soldiers are locked in an intense battle for the town of Samawah o­n the way to Baghdad, said a report today.

According to a BBC report, the marines have used heavy guns and tank shells as well as Apache helicopters to try to dislodge an estimated 1,500 Fedayeen fighters who are guarding a bridge across the Euphrates river.

The network's correspondent Gavin Hewitt, who is travelling with the troops, said US needs to capture the town to secure its supply routes as its forces move north.

In the north, the hundreds of American troops who parachuted into Kurdistan-controlled territory have taken control of a key airfield 50km north-east of the city of Irbil.