Flight Lieutenant Peter Darling said British troops were "nibbling at the edges" of Iraqi defences in the city of more than one million people which is seen as a vital staging post for humanitarian supplies.

The British attacked outlying areas of Basra on Monday but were awaiting reinforcements before any drive into the town centre, which has been defended by paramilitary forces fiercely loyal to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

"We're basically taking out small chunks of the city. We're not going to be rushed into there and liberate it in what one would consider to be an onslaught, as it were," he said at the US-led coalition's command centre here.

"We're going to use our own timetable and do it in our own way. Hopefully as the civilians realise that we're here for the long haul we'll get more and more information about where the enemy troops are."

In the neighbouring town of Abu al-Khasib, 20 kilometres (12 miles) away, reports said the last Iraqi resistance had been wiped out and British troops were being welcomed by some residents.

Darling said the region around Basra was generally returning to normal after being "liberated" by British forces.

"The good news is that in three towns -- Az-Zubayr, Rumaila and Safwan -- the soldiers are putting their berets on, which shows that there's a large degree of confidence returning to the area," Darling said.

"Indeed the schools and the markets are reopening."

WAR.WIRE