Battle Lines
Tom Brown		Battle Lines is an ongoing Web log (blog) dedicated to providing a broad perspective on the latest news and developments from the war in Iraq. Response and suggestions are welcomed. Tom Brown has been an editor, reporter and software analyst for The Seattle Times for 20 years.

April 09, 2003

Iraqi government collapses and Baghdad falls

While most of us were sleeping, the Iraqi government collapsed and Baghdad fell to the U.S. Army and Marines. There were still isolated pockets of resistance that made the streets dangerous. In many areas, there was near anarchy as widespread looting erupted. Civilians poured into Baghdad's central square and began trying to topple a 40-foot statue of Saddam Hussein. It finally fell with some assistance from a U.S. tank. Then a group of Iraqis attached ropes to the statue's head and dragged it down the street, where onlookers stepped up to pelt it with rocks. In many areas, U.S. troops were being welcomed. In others, they were still being shot at by Saddam's supporters. Saddam's whereabouts were unknown. The U.S. command thinks he either died in the bombing raid Sunday night or is in hiding. British intelligence says he escaped once again. U.S. commanders warned that though resistance in Baghdad seemed to be about over, the war was by no means finished yet. Supporters of Saddam are still fighting around his hometown of Tikrit.

Posted by tbrown at April 9, 2003 09:10 AM

Katherine Long, research editor at the Seattle Times and 18-year editor and reporter, substituted for Tom Brown the week of April 14.

	ARCHIVES
	April 2003 March 2003

	RECENT ENTRIES
	Signing off The Saddam Files Demonstrations in Karbala Building a government from scratch Smoking gun? The irony of freedom Dispatches Where are the weapons? Cultural advisors quit over antiquities issue Baghdad reality check