Less than 10 days after the fall of Saddam Hussein, thousands of Iraqis marched in downtown Baghdad on Friday to demand a rapid U.S. troop withdrawal and a prominent opposition leader said he expects Americans to relinquish most government functions within weeks.
...
The debate over Saddam's fate was rekindled with the appearance of a videotape said to show him and an audio tape said to contain his recorded message. At the same time, an Iraqi ambassador said he believes the man who ruled Iraq for nearly a quarter century is dead.

"I know his character," said Sami Sadoun, a longtime regime official who most recently has been envoy to Serbia-Montenegro. "He must have been killed, or everything would not have collapsed so quickly," he said in an interview with The Associated Press
...
"Everything is calming down. We haven't had enemy contact in four days," said a Marine spokesman in the capital, Staff Sgt. John Jamison. Yet the Ministry of Information Building was on fire at midday, apparently set ablaze by looters.

American forces also struggled to restore power to the city of roughly 5 million that has been without electricity for two weeks. "Without power, there is no peace," said Haifa Aziz, manager of a power substation. "For hospitals, for schools, for the people, they need electricity."

Thousands marched through the city's downtown, urged on by an imam at Holy Day prayers.

"No to America, no to Saddam," they shouted, and called for unity among Iraq's Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims and Kurds. Some carried banners in Arabic and English. "Leave our country. We want peace," read one.

Inside the mosque, Sheik Ahmed al-Kubeisy addressed his remarks to Americans. "You are masters today. But I warn you against thinking of staying. Get out before we force you out," he said.

» Iraqis Rally to Demand Swift U.S. Pullout (washingtonpost.com)