U.S. and British air strikes pounded Iraqi forces Wednesday in the northern city of Tikrit, the next focus of the war now that U.S. troops have largely secured Baghdad. Special operations forces also were "softening the battlefield" before any U.S. ground troops move into the hometown of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and the presumed hideout for his supporters, U.S. officials said.

U.S. military officials warned that bigger battles may lie ahead as coalition forces plow deeper into northern Iraq.

"This battle definitely isn't over," said Capt. Frank Thorp, spokesman at U.S. Central Command. "We know there are very strong possibilities of tougher fights to follow.

"And there's still a lot of territory to cover," he said.

Republican Guard Barracks Under Attack in Tikrit

In nighttime raids this week, Navy warplanes bombed a Republican Guard barracks and garrison in Tikrit, said Rear Adm. Barry Costello, commander of the USS Constellation.

American troops have secured roads into the city from Baghdad to stop Iraqi leaders from fleeing, but U.S. officials refused to say if any regime leaders had been nabbed trying to reach Tikrit.

US military sources in Qatar, said the Iraqi forces in Saddam's hometown weren't weren't "viable" but could still pose a threat.

Military Operation in Southern Iraq Gradually Coming to an End

There were signs, however, that beyond Baghdad and in much of southern Iraq, combat operations were coming to an end and humanitarian and peacemaking ones were beginning.

British forces shifted to "security and stability efforts," in Basra, the southern city under British control for days now though beset by looting.

North of Basra, coalition forces expanded their reach to Amarah.

Iraqi Positions Under Attack in the North

In the north, special operations forces and Kurdish fighters seized a small town 15 miles north of Mosul and captured over 200 Iraqis, according to US military sources in a-Sayaliyah in Qatar.

Special operations forces backed by air strikes also attacked Iraqi positions about 20 miles south of the northern city of Irbil, destroying tanks, cargo trucks and enemy forces.

But it was in Tikrit that U.S. forces were concentrating their airpower, particularly since reinforcements have moved in and around the city to bolster units in what may be the last Iraqi stand.

PHOTO CAPTION

U.S. Special Forces take a position in a Baghdad intersection, near a portrait of Saddam Hussein, Wednesday, April 9, 2003. (AP Photo/John Moore)