The trip came on a day when US troops raided two of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's palaces in Baghdad in a highly symbolic action seen worldwide on television.

Franks visited Al-Zubayr in southern Iraq where he met British commanders operating in the sector who on Monday consolidated their control of nearby Basra, the country's second city.

He then flew north to Numaniyah where he met soldiers from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force before leaving for Najaf.

Najaf, a Shiite Muslim holy city some 150 kilometres (95 miles) south of Baghdad, was the scene of a week of violent clashes before coming under US control.

US Central Command said the purpose of Franks' trip was to visit US troops but also to meet the local population. A spokesman added that Franks, who drove around Najaf in a Humvee military jeep, was greeted by hundreds of waving civilians.

SPACE.WIRE