There remains a degree of uncertainty and there are still regime elements who pose a threat.

As the regime collapses, there is still fierce fighting in some areas, and we have reports of regime elements threatening to continue fighting.

There was considerable economic growth during Trujillo's long and iron-fisted regime, although a great deal of the wealth was taken by the dictator and other regime elements.

"It once again shows that there are these murderers and terrorists, former regime elements in Iraq, that don't want to see an election," he said.

Operation Ivy Blizzard will target those former regime elements that held power for decades at the expense of Iraq's future.

"Many incidents against aircraft are attacks by Iraqi former regime elements and those paid by them," said the senior Army aviator in the gulf region.

"What you don't have running, however, are the old-style Sunni nationalists, the old regime elements who used to dominate the country's politics."

"You can't arbitrarily eliminate regime elements as involved in this attack," one official said.

As they withdraw because of intimidation by foreign terrorists and former regime elements, the terrorists win.

The foreign regime elements win.