On The Scene: After Baghdad's Fall

CBS News' Lara Logan Reports Baghdad Is Still Not Secure

(CBS)  CBS News Correspondent Lara Logan has been reporting from the heart of Baghdad.

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Waking up Thursday morning in Baghdad, U.S. Marines know that the city is not yet secure. We've heard sporadic gun firing and shelling coming from all directions around us.

Thursday morning we visited an area near the fighting and came across the gruesome aftermath of one of the most intense battles for the capital.

Baghdad's main airport highway has turned into a road of death — littered with bloated corpses and body parts of Iraqi fighters, Syrian volunteers, and civilians caught in the crossfire.

There were also signs people here know the leadership has disappeared from the capital.

I saw main government buildings being looted. CBS News obtained exclusive pictures of Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz's home being looted by frenzied people, who took everything they could possibly lay their hands on. They were quite excited, and tense. Some didn't want to be filmed. But others were quite happy to be seen ransacking the house and taking everything they could possibly carry out.

There's been widespread looting across the city. U.S. forces at the moment are not interfering; they're letting the people go ahead and not getting involved. But they're staying there with their guns ready in case the situation gets worse.

Now those Marines you saw Wednesday in the square woke up to a warm and much-calmer reception from Iraqi people Thursday morning.

"I woke up in my tank, between two hotels," said one. "The gentleman who lives right next to where my tank is parked called me in. He said, "Please sit down with me and have tea." He cooked me an egg. Pretty nice — made it all worthwhile, kind of."

I think everybody seemed pretty happy that the troops are here. And we're happy they're here. It's good to see the Iraqi people and Americans are finally going to meet.

But the U.S. Marines know not everyone here has welcomed their arrival and it may take some time to clear the capital of all resistance. The Marines I've been speaking to are eager to return home. But as one said to me, they'll have to be U.S. soldiers here. "We came to protect the Iraqi people and that job is not yet done."