General Vincent Brooks said the local militias joined an attack with troops from the First Marine Expeditionary Force near the towns of Diwaniyah and Shatra, south of Baghdad.

"We've operated in a variety of areas and in close contact with tribal leaders and tribal members. Where we can find an access point or find someone who is interested in contacting us, we will pursue that," he said.

"We think we're going to see a whole lot more of those (tribal forces) in the coming days as they continue to show up ... As the regime is pushed back, peeled back or destroyed, people will start seeking freedom for themselves."

The general told reporters at the coalition military headquarters here that coalition troops were receiving more and more assistance from ordinary Iraqis despite growing civilian casualties in the war.

In the north, American soldiers have been cooperating with local Kurdish fighters to coordinate ground and air attacks against Iraqi positions and alleged terrorist bases.

US special forces troops and CIA agents reportedly roamed the countryside of Afghanistan with suitcases full of money to buy the allegiances of warlords ahead of the attack on the Taliban regime there in 2001.

Local tribesmen are still playing a central role in Afghanistan as US troops hunt down the remnants of the Taliban and the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

SPACE.WIRE