NBC (the US TV channel, not the weapons of mass destruction) announced the first casualties of the war, as 16 coalition troops died in a helicopter accident. A big fuss. Very sad. Very sad indeed.

A moment later, the BBC announced the first coalition casualties of the war, as 16 troops died in a helicopter accident.

NBC seemed to have forgotten about the various Iraqis we've been blasting the shit out of for the past 24 hours.


Coalition troops seem to be making some headway into Iraq. A bunch of US Marines had to fall back after coming under fire, but elsewhere, ground troops have been getting as far as 200km into Iraq.

There have been occasional mass surrenders, but there's also been pretty stiff resistance in places as well.

No news on combat casualties on our side, although BBC correspondents have reported seeing a few Iraqi bodies lying around.