Prior to the war, the U.S. estimated a troop force of about 500,000 in the Iraq military. About 100,000 were amassed south of Baghdad. If you get rid of all of the Iraqi Army regulars who were just in the Army for a meal then you are left with the Republican Guard divisions - about 100,000 troops IIRC. So...this brings me to my question - is any else worried about the fact that we only have 8,000 Iraqi POWS? While we have killed a shiteload of Iraqi in the last three weeks there is no way in hell we have killed 100,000 guys. So where are they? If they have melted back into the population (highly likely) how are we going to control Iraq? How are we going to tell friend from foe? I am seriously concerned about the longer term terrorist implications of 50,000 plus Saddam loyalists suddenly wandering the streets of Baghdad in plain clothes.
Loyal to whom? Saddam is dead or irrelevant, his regime has been deposed, and the people clearly want nothing to do with any part of his legacy. What will their cause be? Many German and Japanese soldiers dissolved back into the population after WWII. Islamic fundamentalists may be a concern, as they always have been, but I doubt Saddam loyalists will be a factor. Their day is over and they know it. I don't think there's a significant number that are loyal to him anyway.
Point taken about Saddam but I think there is a concern with Iraqi Loyalists (for lack of a better term). I think one of the stories that will come out of this war is that our forces wound up mowing down alot of guys who were trying to fight tanks with AK47's. In fact, I think some of our boys will be coming home pretty messed up over the amount of killing they had to do of clearly overmatched opponents. They had to do it for their own survival but it doesn't make it easy. These guys attacking tanks with AK47's were clearly on a suicide cause of some sort (religious? personal? nationalistic?) but I just don't buy they were doing it all for Saddam. This level of fanaticism doesn't just melt away and I am worried that for years to come we are going to have to occupy Iraq ala Israel in Palestine and our solidiers will just have these guys taking pot shots at them.