Iraq will be governed by Iraqis, vows Rumsfeld

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld pledged during an unannounced visit to Iraq yesterday that his troops would leave as soon as possible, but fresh bloodshed erupted at an anti-American protest.

Even as Rumsfeld savoured victory in the campaign to oust Saddam Hussein, a leading Arabic newspaper published what it said was a letter from the ousted Iraqi leader in which he urged Iraqis to throw out US and British forces.

In Washington, the White House said General Tommy Franks, who headed the US war effort, had told President Bush that major combat operations were over. This did not signal a formal end to hostilities, spokesman Ari Fleischer said.