Baghdad: US forces intensified their battle against pro-Saddam Hussein loyalists and armed resistance in Iraq, as thousands of Iraqi protestors demanded self-rule in the British-run southern city of Basra.

The US military unleashed a new operation codenamed "Desert Scorpion" against forces loyal to the ousted former President in northern Iraq, a coalition spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the coalition forces spread out across Fallujah, the tense Iraqi town west of Baghdad, on June 15 on a new mission to win the hearts and minds of a community rife with resentment and hostility toward western forces.

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Residents watched on warily as teams of Army engineers poured out of the convoys rolling down the narrow streets to renovate schools, clear rubbish, and build soccer pitches.

In Washington, a top advisor to Secretary of State Colin Powell said the establishment of a democratic government in Iraq could take years, and would not resemble those of the United States or Britain but would be "Iraqi".

"I think we should be talking in terms of several years at a minimum," said Richard Haass, director of policy planning at the state department.

The Iraqi changeover to democracy won't come overnight, Haass told ABC television. "There will be a gradual transition or evolution to a more open Iraq," he said.

Agencies