Iraqis roll over a destroyed vehicle following a car bomb at a central market in Kirkuk. 33 people were killed and 92 wounded in the car bomb attack during peak shopping hours at the market on the day that Iraqis celebrated the US troop withdrawal from towns and cities across Iraq. -- PHOTO: AFP
BAGHDAD - IRAQI forces were in control of towns and cities nationwide on Wednesday after the pullout of US troops six years after the invasion, but a bloody car bombing underscored the tough challenge ahead.
US President Barack Obama, who opposed the 2003 war ordered by his predecessor George W. Bush, hailed the US withdrawal as an 'important milestone' but warned of difficult days of bloodshed and violence ahead.
The landmark day was marred by a bomb attack on a popular market in Kirkuk, an oil hub which has long been riven by ethnic tensions, which left 33 people dead and 92 wounded including women and children.
Iraq marked the American pullback with a national holiday six years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein but sparked an insurgency and sectarian bloodshed that left tens of thousands dead.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki took on critics of Iraq's army and police, saying they were up to the task of taking over from the Americans.
'It is an offence to the Iraqis. The people who said that the foreign troops would never withdraw and would keep permanent bases in our country were giving a green light to the terrorists to kill civilians,' he said.
'Make no mistake, there will be difficult days ahead. We know that the violence in Iraq will continue; we see that already in the senseless bombing in Kirkuk earlier today,' Mr Obama said at the White House.
'This is an important step forward, as a sovereign and united Iraq continues to take control of its own destiny,' he said, adding that Iraqi leaders now had to make 'hard choices' to resolve political issues and bolster security.
Mr Maliki had warned earlier this month that insurgent groups and militias were likely to step up attacks in the run-up to June 30 in a bid to undermine confidence in Iraq's own security forces, despite an overall fall in violence.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Tuesday he expects 'sporadic attacks' as Al-Qaeda fighters 'increase the level of violence to try to pretend that they forced us out of the cities' and show weakness in the Iraqi forces. -- AFP
