Iraq Still in Confusion after Sovereignty Handover

Iraq is quickly returning to the international community as countries all over the world follow the United States and Kuwait in announcing their intentions to establish diplomatic relations with the Iraqi transitional government that was handed its sovereignty on Monday.

However, there has been no sign of improvement in the tense security situation as Islamic militants murdered one detained U.S. soldier and kidnapped two additional Turks several hours after the announcement of the sovereignty handover.

Foreign sources reported Monday that a battle broke out with an enormous explosion in the capital Baghdad and the Basra region in the southern part of Iraq.

The U.S. President George W. Bush strongly hinted that the Iraqi transitional government could proclaim martial law.

The Drudge Report Web site announced that the U.S. Army will issue mobilization orders for 6,500 currently inactive soldiers in the Individual Ready Reserve in preparation for an additional dispatch of troops.

Along with Monday’s sovereignty handover, the U.S. declared it was restoring diplomatic relations with Iraq. In an official statement, Kuwait also announced, “We are resuming diplomatic relations with Iraq for the first time since 1990, by dispatching an ambassador to Iraq among other things.”

However, on this day, the Al Jazeera Arab satellite television station reported that an Islamic armed organization murdered an American soldier who was detained as a hostage for three months on the grounds that the U.S. policy towards Iraq has not changed. The murdered Private First Class Keith Maupin went missing after April 9 when he was traveling by car from the southern part of Baghdad and was attacked in an ambush.

In addition, it was confirmed that two Turkish workers were taken hostage by an unidentified group, making five Turkish civilians to have been kidnapped in Iraq.

President Bush, who is participating in a NATO summit conference, hinted at a martial law declaration on Monday by stating, “For the time being, we must enact temporary tough measures to deal with the brutal murderers.”

Ho-Gab Lee gdt@donga.com