A U.S. armored column has made the first large-scale incursion into the center of Baghdad. A spokesman for the U.S. Central Command said troops traveled north into the capital Saturday, turned west at the Tigris River, then out of the city and toward the airport. The coalition's director of operations indicated the purpose of the operation was to prove coalition forces can move into the Iraqi capital when they need to. The U.S. Central Command said the coalition is in control of the airport, and one of the runways should be usable soon. During the sweep, the Americans came under intense fire from Republican Guards with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. Some reports say hundreds of Iraqis were killed. Meanwhile, the Iraqi government denied U.S. troops had entered the capital and claimed Saddam's forces had retaken the airport