The Hindu : U.S. forces bracing to restore order as looters rule the roost

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 13, 2003

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U.S. forces bracing to restore order as looters rule the roost

U.S. Marines frisk an Iraqi Colonel, who agreed to offer his services to restore law and order, as he arrived at the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad on Saturday. — AFP

BAGHDAD APRIL 12. The U.S. forces battled to restore order in Iraqi cities today as gangs of looters stripped government buildings, ransacked stores and pillaged Baghdad's famed antiquities museum. The Deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz's house was looted and ordinary Iraqis were terrified that their homes could be next.

A Reuters report said that the U.S. military and the Iraqis had agreed to joint patrols to restore order in Baghdad. Iraqi police chief, Col. Mohammed Zaki, said the patrols would start in a day or two.

The Marines confirmed the patrols would start, but said they did not have a time. They also confirmed that a night curfew was under discussion.

Anarchy and violence also traumatised the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, which were seized almost unopposed by Kurdish fighters over the past 48 hours. "If the Americans are liberating us, let them restore order because this has been as bad as any two days of my life with Saddam," said Jassem Mohammed, a Turkmen butcher in Kirkuk.

Saddam's science adviser surrenders

Meanwhile, Mr. Hussein's science adviser surrendered to the U.S. authorities today, insisting that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction and the U.S.-led invasion was unjustified.

Lt. Gen. Amir al-Saadi is the No. 1 Iraqi wanted for questioning about Iraq's chemical weapons because he was the senior weapons adviser to Mr. Hussein and oversaw the country's chemical program in the past. He is believed to have in-depth knowledge of other weapons programme as well.

Planes head for Tikrit

U.S. military commanders remained focussed on wrapping up the war, sending planes to pound Mr. Hussein's home base, Tikrit — the only important town still holding out in the 24-day war.

Lead elements of the powerful U.S. 4th Infantry Division also moved into Iraq today, as the army started to reposition their ground forces ahead of an expected assault on Tikrit, some 180 km north of Baghdad.

An Iraqi woman taking away a chair from a deserted government office in Baghdad on Saturday. — AP

In the capital, looters ransacked the Iraqi National Museum, smashing display cases to grab treasures dating back to thousands of years to the dawn of civilisation in Mesopotamia. "They have looted or destroyed 170,000 items of antiquity... They were worth billions of dollars," said the deputy director, Nabhal Amin, weeping openly.

In some well-to-do neighbourhoods, locals formed armed vigilante groups to protect their personal property, kicking and punching anyone suspected of plundering goods.

A group of protesters demonstrated in the city centre over the breakdown in law and order. "The Americans replaced the regime and security is part of their responsibility," said Haidir Shawk, a 58-year-old engineer.

In the north, Kurdish ``peshmerga'' fighters tried to impose some order in the oil hub of Kirkuk, which they took on Thursday amid scenes of wild jubilation, checking cars coming in and out of the city in search of suspected looters and their bounty.

Clashes in Mosul

There were also unconfirmed reports of violent Arab-Kurd clashes in Iraq's third city, Mosul, which fell to the "peshmerga" on Friday after an entire Iraqi army corps surrendered.

In Kirkuk, Kurdish fighters began withdrawing and the U.S. forces are increasing their presence to establish control in the city.

Turkey is terrified that Iraqi Kurds want to claim Kirkuk as capital of an independent state, fanning separatism among its own Kurds. The Kurds say they will withdraw from the city by today, handing over control to nearby U.S. troops.

There was evidence that the invading forces were shifting some attention towards administration, with the U.S. officials making plans for a meeting of local politicians in Iraq early next week to discuss the country's future government.

U.S. bombers pounded positions around Tikrit today, preparing the way for an eventual ground assault.

Initial elements of the United States' 30,000-strong 4th Infantry Division moved into Iraq from Kuwait today — the only U.S. division in the area yet to see any action.

Firing along Tigris

Firing erupted in central Baghdad on Saturday with the Marines and Iraqi fighters battling tree-to-tree along the Tigris river. Heavy machine gun fire and explosions could be heard along the river.

U.S. forces reopened two strategic bridges on Saturday in the heart of Baghdad and crowds of looters surged across — taking advantage of access to new territory that had not already been plundered. U.S. forces did nothing to stop them.

U.S. Army troops and armour blocked access to the main palace grounds.

The Oil Ministry also seemed intact with a heavy U.S. military presence inside. Also intact were some of the power installations, power stations and power grids.

Qusay spotted?

Residents of a Baghdad suburb said today that they saw Mr. Hussein's younger son, Qusay, alive.

On Monday a B-1 bomber dropped four 900 kg bombs on the building in the Mansur district after the CIA received a tip that Mr. Hussein and sons Qusay and Uday were inside.

Among the people living across the street from the bombed building, a middle-aged couple said they both saw Qusay driven away in a Government-issue Peugeot 306 car about 15 minutes after the bombing.

Suicide vests

The Marines claimed that they had discovered an enormous cache of suicide bomb vests hidden in a school in a residential neighbourhood of central Baghdad.

The black leather vests with wires running along them weighed about eight kg and were filled with long rectangular blocks of C4 plastic explosive and hundreds of ball-bearings.

AP, Reuters, PTI

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