British forces were in control of large swathes of Iraq's second city last night after launching a lightning strike involving Desert Rats and Royal Marines.

Three British soldiers died in the fighting for Basra, the Ministry of Defence said last night.

One, Fusilier Kelan John Turrington, 18, from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was killed by an improvised bomb.

His family had been told, while the next of kin of the other two casualties were being informed, an MoD spokesman said.

It is believed they were members of the Scots Dragoon Guards battlegroup and were killed as they attempted to dismount from their Warrior fighting vehicle.

Military sources claimed the vast majority of the southern city was now under British control with troops digging in at the centre.

The 18th day of war saw Allied troops launch two waves of attacks on the city of 1.5 million people after two weeks poised on its outskirts.

Soldiers from the 7th Armoured Brigade - the Desert Rats - made a breakthrough in the early morning when they pushed through the outskirts from the south-west.

A second attack was launched hours later by Royal Marines from 3 Commando Brigade, with support from 59 Independent Commando Squadron, Royal Engineers.

The strike into the centre came a week after the Royal Marines seized a key southern suburb of the city.

Last night, troops were testing their hold of Basra after encountering "patchy resistance" from isolated pockets of militia, light fire, and rocket-propelled gren-ades during their surge in.

Colonel Hugh Blackman, of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, said: "It would appear we have them on the run. But the enemy have not been surrendering in large numbers - they have been fighting and dying, but that is their choice. It is sad but that is how it has to be.

"It's made sadder that resistance in Basra is becoming pointless.

"We leaned on the door and it burst open. This has been a crucial day."

The decision to finally seize control of the city was prompted by intelligence from local people who indicated that many Saddam loyalists had fled.

Many people came on to the streets to welcome the troops, but widespread looting was reported.

Captain Roger Macmillan, of the Scots Dragoon Guards from Edinburgh, said of their greeting: "They were welcoming us openly for the first time. Giving us the universal sign of approval - the thumbs up."

The move into Basra came after Allied aircraft bombed a villa in the city belonging to General Ali Hassan al-Majid, appointed by his cousin Saddam to command forces in the south.

UK military spokesman Group Captain Al Lockwood, confirmed that the body of one of "Chemical Ali's" bodyguards had been found and a search was on for the Iraqi commander.

In London, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon appeared to hint that the Iraq war may soon be over.

He said he hoped only "a very small" number of UK troops would still be in the country in a few months' time.

In Baghdad, the authorities imposed a night-time curfew to stop civilians attempting to flee as US forces closed in around the capital.

Brigadier General Vince Brooks at Central Command said about 2,000 Iraqi fighters were killed in the capital during an armoured raid in and out of the city at the weekend.