Reports of Baghdad's liberation joyous, guarded

House Editorial

The images of Iraqi civilians rejoicing at the destruction of a 20-foot tall statue evoke memories of ecstatic young Germans celebrating the removal of the Berlin Wall almost 15 years ago. Feelings that had long been pent-up and repressed burst forth as the news of Baghdad's capture flashed across the city and then around the world.

Wednesday found Saddam Hussein no longer in control of a capital city where just last week he walked among the civilians on the streets. A 24-year-long reign of naked power, brutal aggression and pervasive terror evaporated in the sunshine that now illumines a Baghdad filled with joyous Iraqis. Civilians long accustomed to mass rallies in support of Hussein now filled the streets cheering his demise.

Three weeks after a surprise attack on a command bunker signaled the start of the second Persian Gulf War, American troops freely walk through the streets of Baghdad. The momentary good news, however, cannot distract the United States from its mission to completely free all of the Iraqi people.

Mohammed al-Douri, the Iraqi ambassador to the United Nations, admitted that Hussein's government has ceased to function. Reports from www.washingtonpost.com quoted al-Douri as saying, "The game is over" and that he had not "heard from Hussein or other top officials for a long time."

The war, however, is not over. The goal of coalition forces is to remove Hussein from Iraq, not simply to remove him from Baghdad. As of press time, www.cnn.com reported that there are unconfirmed reports that Hussein survived Monday's air strike on one of his command bunkers and slipped out of Baghdad. Iraqi forces have re-entrenched around Tikrit, Hussein's hometown, and U.S. Marines encountered more resistance as they continued to secure Baghdad.

The sudden power vacuum in Baghdad also has resulted in signs of anarchy throughout the Iraqi capital. Crowds have looted buildings and gangs of men brandishing AK-47s move through the city at will. U.S. Marines initially told a group of 1,000 Iraqis that they could not return to their homes because of fighting, but could only prevent a riot by bowing to the wishes of the mob, according to the Post.

Freedom, in this case, means the right of Iraqis to do whatever they what, including looting and burning government buildings. As the U.S. military moves more forces into Baghdad and attempts to restore order we will see how long Americans are seen as liberators instead of law enforcement. What is most important is that the United States immediately airlifts large amounts of food and supplies to the capital city in order to prevent chaos from swallowing the city whole.

Control of Baghdad is an important aspect of this war, but we cannot forget that it is merely an aspect. We are fighting this war not simply to end Hussein's control over his people but to remove him from Iraq. In the larger sense we are fighting this war so the Iraqi people can have a strong, secure government that also gives them personal freedoms. We are fighting this war so that we will be able to remove our forces from Iraq and know that we no longer need to fear that Iraq may give chemical and biological weapons to terrorists.

Wednesday's images of cheering crowds are welcoming signs that this war may be nearing an end. However, the United States cannot stop now. It must continue until all of the goals for this war have been accomplished. In that sense, Wednesday's toppling of Hussein's statue marked not the end, but just the beginning.