U.S. forces settle into Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S.-led forces swept into Baghdad Monday, took over Saddam Hussein's main palace and destroyed a 40-foot statue of the Iraqi leader -- the most dramatic step yet in the coalition's effort to show Iraqis their leadership is being conquered.

There were "mass desertions" in Baghdad, with Iraqi troops abandoning their armored vehicles and fleeing, said CNN's Walter Rodgers, who is embedded with the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry of the 3rd Infantry Division. Sources told him three U.S. Army battalions plan to stay in the city.

At about 8 p.m., a series of explosions hit in an area of Baghdad, setting off a brilliant fire that lit up the darkened sky. That followed a round of explosions that struck the city early Monday, adding more smoke to the black clouds already coming from oil-filled trenches set afire by Iraqi fighters. Combined with a sandstorm affecting the area, visibility was limited.

South of the Iraqi capital, U.S. troops found drums of what may be chemical weapons materials at an agricultural complex near Karbala, military officials said Monday. (Full story)

Gen. Benjamin Freakly of the 101st Airborne Division said tests performed Monday indicate the presence of nerve and blister agents, but he added, the test sometimes shows false positives. More samples are being tested.

Meanwhile, some 25 miles east of Mosul -- the largest Iraqi city remaining under regime control -- coalition forces Monday were approaching the main highway connecting Mosul to Kirkuk, hoping to cut off those cities from each other.

The move comes as coalition forces consolidate positions in an effort to choke off and surround all major Iraqi cities, including those in the north.

According to defectors, there are no Republican Guard troops operating in northern Iraq, but there has been very active Iraqi artillery resistance during the coalition bombings, which have taken place almost every day for the past two weeks.