Lieutenant General William Wallace, Fifth Corps commander, inspected 1st Infantry Division troops at what until earlier this month was known as Saddam International Airport.

"Don't let your guard down," Wallace told the gathering. "One dead soldier is too many."

He cited concerns about possible suicide attacks and other assaults on US troops carried out by Iraqi fighters or Arab volunteers, who he said were fanatics "only there to kill Americans".

He noted that while the Iraqi army "does not exist any more" there remained some soldiers wearing civilian clothes and prepared to seize opportunities to target US troops.

Wallace also highlighted a number of deaths in recent days that underscored the threat posed by accidents.

Two members of the Fifth Corps died earlier this week in a grenade explosion as they worked on a vehicle south of Baghdad and a third Fifth Corps soldier was killed and another wounded in a separate incident involving "an apparent accidental weapons discharge" at Baghdad Airport, according to US Central Command.

Wallace congratulated the troops on a "very successful campaign" and said US forces had awed the world with the speed of the Iraq campaign.

Some could expect to return home soon but many would need to stay behind to help get the country running again, he said.

Passing out gold Fifth Corps medallions to soldiers who had earned special distinction, Wallace took time to shake hands, give pats on the back and a talk to each battalion.

"You did historic things for the army. You had an exciting battle and you were part of it," Wallace said.

But he warned that some of the most difficult work for US troops was yet to come in enforcing law and order and laying the groundwork for a civil administration.

"You have to stabilize the country. It's not going to be as quick as you want it to be," he said.

He also issued a final warning against looting, saying that soldiers who took as much as a "piece of chinaware from (Saddam Hussein's) palace" could expect to be prosecuted.

SPACE.WIRE