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Marines Consolidate Hold on Tikrit

U.S. Marines consolidate their hold on Saddam Hussein's hometown, one day after capturing Tikrit without much of a fight. But there's been no celebrating -- many of the town's Arab residents are hostile to the Americans. Some still openly voice support for Saddam. Meanwhile, there's trouble just north of Tikrit where Arab fighters have clashed with Kurdish paramilitary forces. NPR's Ivan Watson reports from Tikrit.

Copyright 2003 NPR

Ivan Watson
Ivan Watson is currently based in Istanbul, Turkey. Following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he has served as one of NPR's foreign "firemen," shuttling to and from hotspots around the Middle East and Central Asia.