Statue Toppled in Tug of War

KARBALA, Iraq — It took longer than the U.S. Army anticipated, but Saddam Hussein was toppled Sunday -- in an operation that began with a blowtorch to the ankles.

The Hussein in question was a 15-foot bronze statue in Karbala, about 50 miles south of Baghdad, and his downfall came at the hands of local citizens pulling on a rope, with help from U.S. forces.

On Saturday, when U.S. soldiers moved into Karbala, residents asked them to take down the statue of the Iraqi president, soldiers said.

Soldiers agreed to help Sunday. A welder began to blowtorch the lower leg. But like the real Hussein, the bronze imitation proved more resilient than some expected. Only after an hour of blowtorching did the statue start to look vulnerable.

Local residents pulled on the rope tied to the statue. It began to sway, but the rope snapped, and a new one had to be found. Finally, down it came. People climbed onto the statue and began beating it with their shoes.

“Good, good, good Mr. W. Bush, no Saddam,” an elderly man declared in broken English.