WORLD> Middle East
Iraqis celebrate US pullback but bombing kills 33
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-07-01 23:49

Colorful paper balls and Iraqi flags were hoisted on blast walls at checkpoints as patriotic songs blared from loudspeakers on sidewalks.

Plastic flowers and streamers decorated police and army vehicles. One car had a red heart with the English word "Love" in the middle, as if for Valentine's Day.

Iraqis celebrate US pullback but bombing kills 33
An Iraqi boy flashes a victory sign as he celebrates the withdrawal of US troops in Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad June 30, 2009. [Agencies]

Some policemen danced atop their vehicles as they moved in convoys across the capital. Traffic was light in Baghdad, but particularly thorough searches at some checkpoints meant long lines of waiting cars in parts of the city.

Related readings:
Iraqis celebrate US pullback but bombing kills 33 US hands over control of Iraqi cities
Iraqis celebrate US pullback but bombing kills 33 Analysis: US role in Iraq doesn't end just yet
Iraqis celebrate US pullback but bombing kills 33 4 US soldiers killed during Iraq cities pullout
Iraqis celebrate US pullback but bombing kills 33 Iraq declares victory as US troops leave cities
Iraqis celebrate US pullback but bombing kills 33 Fireworks over Baghdad as Iraqis take over cities
"I felt it was normal for an Iraqi soldier, rather than an American, to order me to stop for a search," said Ali Mohsen, a 30-year-old government employee from the mostly Shiite New Baghdad district. "The Americans' cowboy style was annoying," said Mohsen, recounting his car journey to his brother's home in eastern Baghdad.

"I hope our forces will be up to the task so we can return to normalcy," he said.

Any failure on their part could plunge the country into a new round of sectarian warfare that could seal Iraq's fate for years. Success would allow reconstruction projects to go ahead and give leaders of Iraq's rival ethnic and religious groups space to negotiate an enduring power-sharing formula.

Iraqi authorities welcomed the US pullback with nationalist rhetoric and celebrations in what appeared to be an attempt by al-Maliki to rally the public behind his government and secure more support ahead of an election in January.

Al-Maliki, whose three years in office saw a dramatic decline in violence, used a nationally televised address to project an air of confidence.

"Those who think that Iraqis are incapable of protecting security in their country and that the withdrawal of foreign forces will leave a security vacuum which will be difficult for Iraqi forces to fill are making a grave mistake," the prime minister said.