Near the site of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the wonders of the ancient world, lies one of the horrors of the modern world: a mass grave containing the bodies of 10,000 to 15,000 Iraqi citizens murdered on the orders of Saddam Hussein. Some were shot; others were buried alive.

When American troops ended Saddam’s cruel rule, the families of thousands of these victims rushed to the gravesite at Al Hillah to search for their loved ones’ remains. More than 3,000 bodies were claimed. Today, rows and rows of plastic bags containing clothing and other personal effects have been placed on top of mounds where the remaining unidentified bodies have been reburied.

I visited this gruesome, chilling site during the three days that I spent in Iraq recently with eight other members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Guiding our group of Senators to the mass grave was Sandra Hodgkinson, a human rights officer from the State Department. Sandra grew up in Lisbon Falls and graduated from Kents Hill High School in Readfield. She is assigned to Iraq to help the families claiming the remains from the mass graves that, along with torture chambers and children’s prison cells, provide horrific evidence of Saddam’s cruel reign of terror.

The breathtaking brutality of Saddam’s dictatorship is reflected in the climate of fear that grips much of Iraq today. In Basra, for example, we met an Iraqi man who is running an oil refinery. He cheerfully answered every question posed by our group – until we mentioned Saddam. The change in his demeanor was palpable: he become very nervous and refused to answer any question involving Saddam.

Prior to my journey to Iraq, I had not understood the fear that uncertainty about Saddam’s whereabouts has created among Iraqi citizens, many of whom are convinced that Americans will leave too soon and that Saddam will return to seize power. Saddam’s ability to elude capture has emboldened the remnants of his Baathist party to attack our troops and impeded progress in everything from restoring electricity to holding local elections. Apprehending Saddam and his sons must remain a priority for coalition forces. As one Army general told me: “Capturing Saddam would change everything.”

While in Iraq, I was honored to meet with hundreds of American and British troops, men and women who are doing an extraordinary job. I have unlimited admiration for their courage and commitment: by night, many of the troops are conducting raids on pockets of resistance; by day, they are renovating schools and helping Iraqis take tentative steps toward self-government and democracy.

Despite the continuing danger and the oppressive heat (it was 122 degrees in Basra), morale was high. Army Sgt. Michael Levesque of Winslow put it best when he told me, “I have helped to give the Iraqi people a precious gift: their freedom.” In Kirkuk, where I met Michael, morale was particularly high because the Iraqis there are so grateful. Everywhere we went in this city, local citizens waved and called out “Thank you, America!”

Conditions are much more hostile in and around Baghdad where our troops face near daily ambushes and sniper attacks. Although the major combat operations have ceased, the fighting goes on for many of our troops who are conducing raids to deal with remaining pockets of resistance and who must contend with the threat of rocket-propelled grenades and snipers.

What will reduce the dangers for our troops? My discussions with military and intelligence officials, with America’s civilian leader, Ambassador Paul Bremer, and with Iraqi citizens have convinced me that three actions would help considerably. First, the capture of Saddam and his sons would reassure the Iraqi people that his reign truly is over and that he will never come back to terrorize them. I cannot emphasize too strongly how important this is.

Second, we must put an “Iraqi face” on the government. In the relatively peaceful and pro-American city of Kirkuk, local elections have been held, and reflecting the ethnic diversity of the region, a Kurd has been elected mayor, a Turkamen assistant mayor, and an Arab as the second assistant mayor. The local citizens are excited about assuming the responsibilities of government and are working hand in hand with the American troops. There has been far less tension and violence in Kirkuk, and I think advancing local elections in other areas of the country would help bring stability and peace in those areas as well.

Third, we need to ask other countries to contribute troops to assist with peacekeeping and reconstruction. That would allow some of our exhausted troops to return home sooner. Moreover, troops from countries other than the United States and Britain are less likely to be a target for Baathist and other extremists.

There is some good news in this regard. By fall, 30,000 troops from Poland, Italy, and the Netherlands are expected to be deployed in Iraq, and the administration is seeking troops from other countries as well. In my judgment, the administration needs to step up this effort by formally requesting assistance from NATO in order to work toward a truly international peacekeeping force.

As an Armed Services Committee member, I have visited with our troops in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo and Korea as well as Iraq. But nowhere have I found the challenges more difficult and the dangers more present than in Iraq. The next six months will determine whether we are able to win the peace as decisively as we won the war. I believe that with help from the world community, we can ensure that the future for the Iraqi people is characterized by freedom, peace and democracy.

Susan Collins is Maine’s junior senator.