CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour in Kuwait says this is due to intense resistance from Iraqi troops who have withdrawn into Basra.

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An earlier drive to seize the city, also scheduled to take several days, ran into trouble over New Year when troops encountered stiff resistance from entrenched rebels.

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HILLAH, Iraq (CNN) -- American troops met stiff resistance Tuesday morning from Iraqi paramilitary forces for control of an agricultural complex on the outskirts of the central town of Hillah.

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The troops faced stiff resistance.

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Senator Joe Biden is going to launch extensive hearings on this next week and there's a lot of resistance to the idea of a surge, that is, sending 20, 000, 30, 000 more American troops to Iraq and that resistance is among Republicans as well as Democrats.

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British troops, with the support of coalition air power, have been pushing steadily into Basra since shortly after the start of the war, facing fierce resistance from Iraqi regular and irregular troops.

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It did not specify the exact number, but said the troops are still experiencing sporadic resistance in the north.

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Mr Le Drian said French troops were also encountering pockets of resistance around the main northern city of Gao, adding that they were "practically in face-to-face combat" with the militants.

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In Nad Ali, British and Afghan troops have so far met little resistance and have been able to move through the district much faster than expected, says the BBC's Ian Pannell, who is embedded with B Company of the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh.

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British troops took control of territory around Basra but faced resistance from guerrilla units within Iraq's second city.

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In the north, Mr Museveni's troops have struggled to quell the Lord's Resistance Army, a band of murderous, child-abducting religious rebels.

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Although Congo has indicated that its troops have the capacity to deal with the remnants of Mr. Kony's Lord's Resistance Army, diplomats said its ill-equipped army is no match for the battle-hardened LRA fighters, who have spread their terror campaign in recent weeks, displacing thousands of locals in Congo.

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