TIKRIT, Iraq--Confronted by rage and insults, U.S. forces sweptthrough Saddam Hussein's hometown Tuesday and began disarmingresidents, even as Marines came under fire while seizing an airstripon the town's outskirts.
The U.S. military set up cordons around Tikrit to prevent Saddam'ssenior leaders--and in a long shot, perhaps even Saddam himself--from escaping.
American tanks stood outside Saddam's presidential palace, whichwas seized without a fight, the military said. Plumes of smoke roseTuesday from buildings around the Tikrit South airfield, which waspummeled by U.S. air strikes before it was captured by Marines.
At Balad Southeast, another airfield outside Tikrit, the runwaywas strewn with garbage and old trucks to prevent coalition forcesfrom landing planes. Working aircraft had been moved and hidden undercamouflage nets.
While American helicopters flew over Tikrit, Marines searchedpedestrians for weapons at checkpoints and traffic was strictlycontrolled. U.S. tanks at a bridge over the Tigris River blockedpeople from crossing, triggering fury.
"Americans are against freedom and democracy!" shouted one man.
"Saddam shall return!" shouted another. "Victory is coming!"
"[The Americans] are animals--people are sick of this. People arehungry," said a third.
U.S. forces had suspected about 2,500 holdouts from the RepublicanGuard and the paramilitary Saddam's Fedayeen--and possibly officialsfrom Saddam's regime--were holed up in the town 90 miles north ofBaghdad.
Capt. Frank Thorp, a Central Command spokesman, said U.S. forcesto the south and west of Tikrit had created checkpoints to preventregime leaders from escaping. Though initial fighting had beenfierce, there was no information on casualties.
Tuesday, some people were looting Tikrit's agricultural buildingand the governor general's office. But large-scale looting like thatin Baghdad or Kirkuk was not immediately evident, and the Marineswere disarming residents.
"We're taking all automatic weapons," Marine Cpl. Courtney Davissaid at a checkpoint. "With handguns and pistols, we take the roundsand give them back the guns because they need them for protectionagainst looters."
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To his men, he's Lt. Col. Lee Fetterman. But Tuesday, he picked anunofficial new title: Mayor of Southcentral Baghdad.
"This is ours. We will take care of it," Fetterman told his men inthe 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division shortlyafter they were ordered to clean up that sector of Baghdad ofeverything from weapons to trash.
Other areas of the city have become the responsibility of othermilitary units.
Col. Michael Linnington, commander of the 3rd Brigade, jokinglysaid to Fetterman on Tuesday, "You are now the mayor of SouthcentralBaghdad."
Fetterman's day started with a visit to the Sudanese Embassy, oneof several embassies in the neighborhood that also has middle-classhousing. By evening, he had lectured looters about stealing from awarehouse, attended a brief meeting at a former palace of Saddam andset up a headquarters at the Mauritanian Embassy.
"The first thing we need to do to set this place up for success isclean up the garbage," Fetterman said as he surveyed his newterritory.
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