In the days after American forces handed over Saddam Hussein’s most lavish compound to Iraqi authorities, officials in the Tikrit area say, looters ripped out doors, air conditioners, ceiling fans and light-switch plates from some of the palaces there, leaving little more than plaster and electric wires. The U.S. handed over control of the 136-building complex, which includes 18 palaces, to Iraqi security forces Nov. 22. But the provincial governor said Iraqi soldiers responsible for the looting were part of those forces. “Thank God we were able to save the walls from the looters, because everything else was stolen,” Gov. Hamid Hamoud Qaisi said by telephone. Full Story