Many Iraqis have been in contact with their families in Iraq over the past several days. Phone calls have been established with families in Baghdad, Basra, Nasiriya, Souk Al-Shuyukh, and other towns and cities. The stories they told were very similar.

-Iraqi paramilitary troops, including Saddam's Commandos (Fidayee Saddam), Ba'th party militias, and elements of Special Security Services, are patrolling the streets of towns and cities, manning checkpoints at all crossroads, and holding the population hostage.

-Regime troops have stationed themselves with their military hardware in civilians areas both to deter the population from rising up and to deter Allied forces from action. Regime troops can be seen around schools and hospitals.

-Reports from Najaf on Sunday said that some citizens attacked Ba'th Party Headquarters in the city and engaged in a fight with Ba'th officials. However, in the absence of Allied forces to give them assistance, the Najaf citizens were overcome by the superior arms of the regime's militias.

-There have also been reports of executions in several cities, particularly in Nasiriya, of civilians, soldiers, and army officers.

-There is also a widespread fear of retaliation by Saddam's regime against the families of Iraqi soldiers who have laid down their arms. Retaliation against families and collective punishment is an established and well-documented policy of the Iraqi regime. Captured or surrendering Iraqis have shielded their faces from TV cameras.

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