It is an image that will likely adorn front pages of newspapers across the world on Thursday -- an American flag placed over the head of a statue of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. It is also an image that will likely anger many in the Arab world.

A U.S. soldier on the top of a crane extended from a tank raised the flag briefly. It was later replaced with a pre-Gulf War Iraqi flag, which hung like a bib from the chain and rope around the statue's neck. All flags were removed before the tank pulled the statue to the ground.

LIBERATORS OR CONQUERING INVADERS? Cpl Edward Chin from New York of the 3rd battalion, 4th Marines regiment, set up the star and stripes flag on the face of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's statue before to tear down it, in downtown Bagdad, Wednesday, April 9, 2003. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

Majid Jebreen, the president of the Islamic Union of Iraqi Students in Canada, said he felt sad when he saw the U.S. flag raised over the statue.

"When I saw the American flag put on the statue, it was a sad moment," he told CTV Newsnet. "It should not be done and I hope it was an isolated incident."

While the U.S. flag was only up briefly, Atif Kubursi, a consultant for the UN in the Middle East, told Newsnet the image causes Iraqis to question whether coalition troops are an occupying or a liberating force.

"There is quite a bit of ambivalence (in Iraq)," Kubursi said. "In one way, the Arab people who have suffered from so many totalitarian regimes are very happy to see freedom and to see liberty.

"The other ones, they are not very happy to see coalition forces rising flags of their own Iraqi territory and Iraqi monuments.

"Is this a liberating force? Is this really coming to bring about a new stability to region and peace and liberty and freedom to the people?" Kubursi said. "Or is it an invasion? Is it an occupation?"

This isn't the first time that the U.S. flag has been flown in Iraq. On Wednesday, at least one soldier was seen standing outside his tank holding the stars and stripes. Earlier in the war, another soldier briefly raised the flag at the port of Umm Qasr in the south.

Retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie, a former Canadian Forces & UN Commander, said adrenaline is pumping and the soldier likely "won a bet."

"These guys are in the center of town. Saddam's statue there and they just put an American flag on top of his head," MacKenzie said. "I'd be sort of off in the corner probably saying: 'Well, that's one for the soldier. And now I'm probably going to get it as the boss.'"

After the statue of Hussein was toppled in Firdos square, a group of Iraqi men climbed on top of it and jumped up and down. The head was later severed.

Jebreen said watching the statue fall was a moment every Iraqi was waiting for. "And this is the early Christmas for all the Iraqis."

The symbol of the collapse of the Iraqi regime comes as areas of Baghdad were secured by coalition troops. However, MacKenzie warned that troops are now entering the most dangerous phase of the war.

"This is a very, very dangerous situation 'cause any wacko can get himself into a crowd, even with a knife for heavens sake, let alone a grenade or whatever.

"Commanders are very conscious not to be euphoric about all of this," MacKenzie said. "The security of their people is probably more at risk now than in a conventional operation where you are trained and know what to do.

"There is no law and order. There is anarchy and guess who's responsible and going to take the hit? It's going to be coalition units and soldiers."

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