Marine colonel relieved of his battle command

A senior American marine officer fighting in southern Iraq was relieved of his command yesterday.

Colonel Joe Dowdy, commander of the US marines' 1st Regimental Combat Team, was sacked yesterday, the military headquarters in Qatar, said. No reason was given.

His unit has been involved in battles this week, pushing across the Tigris river to the south-east of Baghdad. The marines have been in the forefront of the advance on Baghdad since crossing from Kuwait two weeks ago.

Col Dowdy commanded marines who fought against the Republican Guard's Baghdad division and spoke afterwards of capturing scores of Iraqi prisoners, including an officer.

Interviewed by the Los Angeles Times during the battle, he said the division had been rendered "isolated and irrelevant". In a statement that has turned out to be premature from his point of view, he said: "We're on the attack. We will continue the attack until it's over."

Col Dowdy was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and was commissioned in 1979.

He has a degree in political science from the University of Mississippi and several postgraduate degrees.

A spokesman at marine head-quarters in North Carolina was unable to give an explanation for his dismissal.

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