Officials in Washington on Friday said that the US had lost a soldier in fighting in Iraq, the first in combat.

Meanwhile in London, British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon told the House of Commons that US-led troops were fighting with Iraqi troops for control of the port city of Umm Qasr.

In Brussels, British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned a EU summit on the Iraq crisis that the war against Iraq might not be a swift one.

In Bangalore, Defence Minister George Fernandes expressed fears that the war would put more pressure on India as it would give an impetus to terrorism.