U.S. General John Abizaid said that he and the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, General George Casey, were "both very, very pleased with the reactions of the Iraqi armed forces."
Abizaid expressed the conviction that, with the support of international forces, the Iraqi armed forces are now capable of dealing with "any security problem that may arise."
Sporadic violence continued during the day.
Iraqi police says that an explosion near a minibus station in a southeastern Baghdad suburb killed seven people and wounded 20 on March 4.
The attack, in the Diyala district of the capital, comes as a daytime curfew was lifted this morning. An overnight curfew remains in place.
In a separate incident, a car bomb near a police checkpoint killed two civilians and injured three police officers near the town of Salman Pak, southeast of Baghdad.
