BAGHDAD — The U.S. administrator of Iraq said Thursday that the United States could relinquish control of the country by next summer, a speeded-up timetable that would suit politicians in the United States and Iraq alike. But in a fresh reminder of instability, guerrillas staged two attacks that killed two American soldiers and wounded five others.
L. Paul Bremer III, at a ceremony inaugurating the partially refurbished Foreign Ministry, told Iraqi diplomats that a hand-over of power could come sooner than expected.
"How long will this take? It is in the hands of the Iraqi people. But it's not unrealistic to think we would have elections by midyear 2004, and when that government is installed ... my job here will be over," said Bremer, who was guarded by a combination of uniformed military, special operations forces and Secret Service agents.
The country is still far from secure. After a two-day respite in U.S. fatalities, Iraqi fighters armed with rifles killed one American and wounded two others northeast of Baghdad late Wednesday. And a mine along a well-traveled highway leading to Baghdad's airport detonated as an armored vehicle passed over it Thursday, killing one soldier and wounding three others.
The deaths and injuries will not weaken America's commitment to staying in the country as long as necessary, said the U.S. commander on the ground, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez. He said that "terrorists" related to the former ruling Baath Party have been augmented by criminals and foreign fighters in a country whose borders are wide open.
"I'm not worried. I'm absolutely not worried," Sanchez told reporters at a Baghdad news conference. "The coalition is strong. The successes going on across this country are remarkable. Why would we be worried?"
A coalition spokesman said the U.S. occupation authority is in talks to turn over the bodies of Uday and Qusai Hussein, the sons of ousted President Saddam Hussein, to either tribal leaders or family members. The two men were killed by U.S. troops July 22 in the northern city of Mosul.
On Thursday, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell approved giving a $30-million reward to the informant who led U.S. troops to the house where the brothers were hiding. The U.S. has not revealed the identity of the informant, although neighbors in Mosul speculated that it was the owner of the house.
