Central Command is pointing to signs that former officials of Saddam's Ba'ath Party have decided to help them out:

MOSUL, Iraq – Two second-tier Ba’ath Party leaders in northwest Iraq handed over weapons Dec. 29 to Coalition Forces with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

The two Farahs, once answerable to the close circle of senior Ba’athists around Saddam Hussein, turned in 48 AK-47 rifles, 59 magazines, and a bag of loose 7.62-millimeter ammunition to Tallafar police.

Also continuing to turn over weapons were fourth-tier Firqa Ba’athists.
The Tallafar chief of police reported that two Firqas turned in one AK-47 rifle each after hearing that Ba’ath Party personnel were turning in weapons. They said they wanted to be helpful, according to the report.

This is one of the first reports of a Ba'athist turnabout since Saddam's capture, and comes on a day when other significant signs of progress in the Coalition effort were bubbling to the surface.