UPDATE ON BABYLON:

CENTRAL IRAQ: U.S. forces moved through the site of King Nebuchadnezzar's ancient Babylon, a cradle of civilization which also houses one of the many lavish palaces of Saddam Hussein.

U.S. soldiers combed the area in a search for Iraqi forces and weapons in and around the city of Hilla, 100 km (60 miles) south of the capital. But Iraqi fighters had already left town.