U.S. Marines forced their way across the Euphrates River on Tuesday after a fierce street battle in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya that opened up a new line of advance northward toward Baghdad, according to reports from Reuters and…

U.S. Marines continued to fight a pitched battle at several bridges over the Euphrates River at the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya, a region central to opening a route north to Baghdad.

In fighting characterized by the U.S. military as the "sharpest engagement" of the war in Iraq thus far, U.S. Marines clashed with a group of Iraqi forces.

As the ground invasion of Iraq continues, the U.S. said Saturday that coalition forces had captured the town of Nasiriya and a critical bridge over the Euphrates River after their initial advance was apparently stopped by a pocket of resistance.