The US President Mr George W. Bush welcomed the joyous reception for US forces in Baghdad but warned that "the war is not over," the White House said today.
As US Marines and Iraqis joined forces to topple a statue of Saddam Hussein in downtown Baghdad, the Vice President Mr Dick Cheney cited "evidence of the collapse of any central regime authority" but warned "hard fighting" may yet lie ahead.
Television images of joyous Iraqis mobbing US soldiers "are heartening signs of military progress and mankind's taste for freedom," White House spokesman Mr Ari Fleischer told reporters. "It's a historic moment."
But "we are still in the midst of a shooting war, and men and women are still in harm's way. The war is not over. There remain a lot of dangers ahead," the spokesman said as gunfire could be heard on broadcasts from Baghdad.
Mr Fleischer said that other cities in Iraq remain under the control of Saddam's regime and that US-led forces still face pockets of tough resistance.
"As much as the president is pleased to see the progress of the military campaign, and the Iraqi people finding freedom where they are finding it, he remains very cautious because he knows that there is grave danger that could still lie ahead," said Mr Fleischer.
Asked about conflicting media reports about whether Saddam was alive or dead, Mr Fleischer said that "we still don't know his fate" but cautioned neighboring nations against offering him refuge.
Saddam "missed his chance" to go peacefully into exile, he said, adding that Mr Bush "gave him an opportunity and he did not take it," an apparent reference to the US leader's 48-hour exile or war ultimatum some three weeks ago.
Last week, Mr Fleischer had said that Bush's "definition of victory" was the point at which the regime is disarmed and its hold on power is broken "so the Iraqi people can be free and liberated."
AFP