The World - Iraqis pay respects to Hussein on anniversary of his death

Security forces braced for possible attacks in Baghdad and the Sunni Arab heartland north of the capital, where Hussein's execution heightened the alienation many Sunnis feel under Iraq's new Shiite Muslim rulers.

Driving bans were imposed in the tinderbox cities of Baiji and Dawr to ward against car bombs, and extra checkpoints went up in and around Tikrit, Hussein's hometown. But there were no reports of violence associated with the anniversary.

Many Hussein loyalists have joined forces with U.S. and Iraqi troops in the last year to fight the religious extremists they once tolerated, a decision U.S. officials credit with helping to reduce bloodshed across the country by 60% since June. Although most remain opposed to the U.S. presence in Iraq, the extreme violence and the austere interpretation of Islam imposed by groups such as Al Qaeda in Iraq dismayed them.

In Al Auja, Hussein's birthplace on the outskirts of Tikrit, children lighted candles in the hall where the dictator was laid to rest. Hundreds of people paid their respects at the tomb decked in flowers and the Iraqi flag, but it was a far cry from the crowds of thousands that Hussein could command in his lifetime.

Residents chafed at the beefed-up security presence in their village.

"We were surprised with these measures taken by the government, curfews in some areas and the blockage of various streets," said Thamer Baker, an unemployed former civil servant from Hussein's Albu Nasir tribe. "Why? Do they fear us? Where is the democracy they talk about?"

In the chaos of competing armed factions and near-daily bombings, some in Iraq hanker for the comparative stability of his brutal regime.

"He was not a dictator," declared Saif Nateek, a policeman from Hussein's tribe. "He was able to keep this country united, to hold it with a firm grip."

In nearby Tikrit, graffiti linger from the day Hussein was hanged: "Shame on the government" and "Long live Saddam."

Members of Iraq's Shiite-led government had hoped the execution would unite the country and lay the past to rest. Instead, footage showing Shiite onlookers taunting Hussein as the noose was placed around his neck sparked outrage among his fellow Sunnis.