April 9: On This Day in World History … briefly
Three weeks into the invasion of Iraq, Coalition Forces Land Component Command elements, led by the US Army 3rd Infantry Division moved into Baghdad.
2003: Saddam statue topples with Baghdad
Scenes of joy greeted US tanks as they rolled into the Iraqi capital Baghdad, confirming that Saddam Hussein was no longer in power.
In the main square, a group of Iraqis tried to pull down a statue of Saddam Hussein in a show of contempt for their former leader.
They climbed the statue to secure a noose around its neck, but were unable to topple it. US troops joined in, using an armoured vehicle to gradually drag down the statue.
Just before the statue was down, a US soldier covered the face with a US flag, so it was quickly removed and replaced by the old Iraqi flag, to roars of approval.
As the statue fell, the crowd jumped on it, chanting as they danced on the fallen effigy, in a symbolic gesture of contempt as it was torn to pieces. They then cut off the head and dragged it through the streets.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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