Symbols of Saddam's power coming down
Coalition troops, Iraqi people destroying leader's monuments
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Soldiers survey bomb damage Monday while securing one of Saddam Hussein's palaces.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Saddam Hussein's symbols of power -- from statues to palaces -- are slowly coming down at the hands of U.S. troops.
On Monday, a 40-foot statue of the Iraqi president was destroyed at the parade grounds in Zawra Park where Saddam would address his troops. U.S. soldiers cheered as they shot the statue of Saddam on horseback. The legs were knocked from under the horse, and the monument tumbled to the ground.
In southern Iraq, resident of Karbala helped U.S. troops tear down a Saddam statue, The Associated Press reported.
Numerous paintings of the president have been torn or taken down by U.S. troops and Iraqi residents.
Among the largest symbols of Saddam's power, however, are the luxurious palaces. The U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division entered two of them in Baghdad on Monday, the Pentagon said.
In Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, British troops pummeled down the doors to another luxurious palace, said David Bowden, an embedded British reporter.
The opulent palace includes vast rooms, delicate stained glass ceilings, marble floors, and detailed woodwork and paneling, but no furniture. Bowden said it appeared that the palace had not been inhabited in at least a few months.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the presence of coalition troops at Saddam's palaces sends a message that Saddam is almost gone.
"Life without Saddam Hussein is not a distant dream," Rumsfeld said. "Coalition forces will not stop until they have accomplished their mission, and they will remove Saddam from power and give Iraq back to the Iraqi people."
Saddam has spent millions of dollars on palaces like the Sujud, in Baghdad, and mosques, such as the Umm al-Maarik, which houses a Quran written in Saddam's own blood. The capital city has at least 32 palaces, some of which housed Saddam's family and his military headquarters.
