There was no US military presence in the area, begging the question: How many civilian lives have been lost because of stray missiles launched by these Arab volunteers mainly from Syria and Sudan?

Looters throughout Baghdad set their sights on the symbols of Saddam Hussein’s dying regime, swarming a palace overlooking the Tigris River to nab bone china with the Iraqi eagle insignia, fancy wash basins and bath tubs — even fish from the garden pond. Elsewhere in the city, however, the convulsions of anarchy appeared to be petering out. People felt secure enough to leave their homes and drive around, causing the late morning traffic jams usually so common to the capital. Buses started running in the center of town.

Storming the Al-Salam Presidential Palace on the river’s western bank, the looters marveled bitterly at Saddam’s life of luxury as they passed shards of crystal from chandeliers and shattered mirrors.

Sporadic bursts of gunfire could be heard on the palace grounds.

The looters, including women in black chadors and young children, hauled away statuary from the manicured lawns and stripped white marble off the walls. Some tried to carry away massive gilded doors.

They tossed hand grenades in the ponds and walked away with nylon bags full of the dead fish that had floated to the surface.

Yesterday, however, US Army troops guarded banks and hospitals. Children ventured out to play soccer. Shops began to open and street vendors hawked vegetables loaded onto donkey carts.

Hundreds of cars loaded with personal belongings were entering Baghdad from the city’s western approaches, an indication that people who fled the fighting were coming home.

But the Yarmouk Hospital, which once had the capacity to care for 3,000 people, is no longer functional. It was hit by US fire four days ago because fighters were thought to be sheltering there.

A hospital doctor told Arab News that 42 died in the fighting. The hospital can no longer treat patients, and because of the lack of electricity even the hospital mortuary is no longer functioning. As a result, the bodies are being hastily buried in the hospital courtyard.

Arab News witnessed the burial of six civilians. At the hospital, large numbers of volunteers are helping staff to clean up the place, but according to the senior physician in charge, Diaz Al-Jeerah, “it’s not enough to get the hospital functional again, as looters have stolen a lot of the medical equipment and medicine. We need aid and we need help. People are dying everywhere, and our hands are tied.”

The Palestine Hotel has become a version of Speakers Corner in London’s Hyde Park, with large numbers of Iraqis chanting and expressing diverse opinions about the war, Saddam Hussein and the US presence in the Iraqi capital.

One Iraqi shouted at US troops to “go home.” He later told Arab News that their situation had gone from bad to worse because of the war, and blamed this solely on US troops.

But many Iraqis are happy to have US troops, a group of them chanting “Bush don’t go.”

“We don’t want Chalabi,” they screamed, expressing their distrust of the possible US-backed future Iraqi leader.

Outside the Palestine Hotel, a number of US military personnel were coordinating with Iraqi civilians in the hope to bring some order and civil rest to Baghdad. The volunteers included doctors, retired military men and engineers.

Arab News asked a US soldier if the people were working under the US military’s umbrella, to which he replied: “No, just with our support.”

In the north of Baghdad, at the Shiite mosque of Al-Qathem, many are unhappy about the presence of coalition troops in Baghdad and are wary of a repeat of the last Gulf War, when the US encouraged a Shiite uprising but later withdrew support and left Saddam in place.

Ali Al-Aziz, 43, told Arab News people were still afraid that Saddam might come back.