Saddam loyalists in deadly show of force after his capture ( 2003-12-16 09:07) (Agencies)
US troops killed two Iraqis
after Saddam Hussein loyalists sacked regional government offices and
insurgents attacked police stations in a show of force following the capture of
the former dictator.
The pair of Iraqis were gunned down in the Sunni rebel stronghold of Fallujah
60 kilometres (35 miles) west of Baghdad, police and journalists at the scene
said.
The pair were shot inside a car, said Iraqi police Lieutenant Hamid Ali
Bardi.
An American military spokeswoman in Baghdad said she was checking on the
report but had no confirmation.
The shooting occurred about 9:00 pm (1800 GMT), just after an explosion in
the town, a centre of anti-coalition resistance 60 kilometres (35 miles) west of
Baghdad.
Earlier, pro-Saddam demonstrators sacked Fallujah's regional government
offices, forcing police guards to flee, journalists at the scene said.
The demonstrators stormed into the building, broke up the furniture,
computers and air conditioning and then destroyed documents.
They set all the wreckage alight in a huge bonfire outside, the
correspondents said. Two large pictures of Saddam and Iraqi flags were hung from
the top of the building.
US soldiers took control of the sacked building and stationed themselves
around the local Iraqi police station which had been deserted in the afternoon.
Military aircraft dropped flares and US soldiers used loudhailers to call on
residents to give up their arms. They threatened to "shoot anyone seen with a
gun in his hand."
Fallujah, which remains loyal to Saddam, had broken out in joyous displays
Monday after rumours spread that the man US forces captured Saturday night was
not the former Iraqi leader.
In Baghdad, a pro-Saddam demonstration degenerated into fighting and attacks
on two police stations in the Sunni Muslim quarter of Adhamiyeh in the northern
part of the city Monday afternoon.
"About 100 assailants attacked two police stations in the district with
automatic weapons and RPGs from along the roofs and in the street," Lieutenant
Haidar Zuheir said.
The attack came after police fired into the air to disperse the loyalists
approaching one station, said Ali Abdul Jaber, a witness. The protesters
scattered into adjacent streets but then began to aim at the police station.
Neither police nor a local hospital reported any casualties.
The exchange of fire lasted several hours and when night fell, a foot patrol
of American soldiers entered Adhamiyeh.
The neighbourhood had been tense since the announcement Sunday afternoon that
US troops had captured the former dictator, a member of Iraq (news - web
sites)'s Sunni minority, hiding in a hole near his hometown of Tikrit.
About 200 people protested in Adhamiyeh on Sunday evening with portraits of
the deposed leader. "Saddam is the glory of our country," they chanted.
In Ramadi, 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of the capital, protesters took to
the streets and stormed the governor's building and put up Saddam posters.
In Tikrit, 300 students demonstrated in support of Saddam.
"With our blood, with our soul, we defend you Saddam Hussein," they chanted.
Some wept and several displayed Iraqi currency bearing Saddam's photo --
still in circulation.
Iraqi police and American troops dispersed the protesters, some of whom were
beaten and arrested, an AFP reporter said.
