April 10, 2003

REACTION: IN A defining gesture

REACTION:

IN A defining gesture marking the end of Saddam Hussein's brutal 24-year iron rule, US Marines early today helped the people of Baghdad topple a giant statue of the dictator in the jubilant aftermath of American tanks rolling into the heart of the Iraqi capital.
- The Australian

JUBILATION AND wholesale looting in Baghdad yesterday signalled the end of the regime of Saddam Hussein.

- The Sydney Morning Herald

AMERICAN MARINES toppled a massive statue of Saddam Hussein in the heart of Baghdad early today as the 24-year rule of the Iraqi dictator collapsed in chaos.

- The Age

THE IRAQI president, Saddam Hussein, has joined Hitler in the pantheon of failed dictators, the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, said tonight.

- The Guardian

IT WAS a moment as historic as the downing of the Berlin Wall or the massacre in Tiananmen Square – the people of Iraq last night rose up against more than two decades of repression.

- The Daily Telegraph

JUBILANT IRAQIS celebrated liberation this afternoon as triumphant US tanks and soldiers poured into the heart of Baghdad, after Saddam Hussein's regime melted away overnight.

- The Independent

SIX DAYS after the "liberation" of Najaf, Iraqis of all ages continue to pack the corridors of Saddam Hussein General Hospital.

- The Arab News

UPDATE. The Arab News has woken up:

US FORCES toppled a giant statue of President Saddam Hussein in the heart of the capital yesterday as Iraqis celebrated the humiliating collapse of his 24-year rule. Cheering ecstatically, a crowd of Iraqis danced and trampled on the fallen six-meter high metal statue in contempt for the man who had held them in fear for so long amid the final throes of the three-week war.

Posted by Tim Blair at April 10, 2003 08:59 AM
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