WASHINGTON, March 23: US President George Bush on Sunday warned Iraqis they would be punished as “war criminals” if they mistreated US prisoners, and said the United States was just beginning a tough fight for Iraq.

Briefing reporters as he returned to the White House from the Camp David presidential retreat, the US president said the progress in the war had been good so far. But he added: “This is just the beginning of a tough fight.”

Mr Bush spoke as American and British soldiers advanced toward Baghdad in a campaign to overthrow Iraq’s leadership.

The offensive saw some setbacks as Britain said a US missile had brought down one of its Tornado planes. In a separate incident, a US soldier was being held as a suspect after a grenade attack wounded 13 American soldiers in Kuwait.

Also, Iraqi television, relayed by Al Jazeera, showed pictures of four bodies, said to be US soldiers, and five prisoners they said were Americans taken in a battle near Nassiriyah.—Reuters