Lieutenant General David McKiernan said he saw no "overt threat" from Iranian-backed groups or among the majority Shiites, who put on a display of communal strength with a massive two-day pilgrimage to the holy city of Karbala that drew more than two million people.

About 150,000 US and British troops are now in Iraq, and more troops are flowing into the country from later deploying US units, including engineers and military police.

"I am satisfied that the forces are here and are continuing to flow here that will allow me to execute what are my 'phase four' missions, and that is to provide a degree, a certain degree of stability and security in Iraq as we transition back to Iraqis in control of their own country," he said.

"I would caveat that, though, by reminding everyone that there aren't enough soldiers or marines to guard every street corner and every facility in Iraq, so there's some risk-taking in some areas," he said.

McKiernan said that 35 days after the start of the war "where we sit is in a blurred transition between combat operations and post-hostilities operations."

"We're still fighting pockets of resistance throughout Iraq, and we're still dealing with paramilitary forces, and we're still expanding the ground component battle space," he told reporters here in a video teleconference from Baghdad.

US forces have not secured all Baghdad or Tikrit, the hometown of deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, he said. Tikrit was the scene of fighting Tuesday night, he said.

But he said the emphasis was shifting rapidly to civil operations to restore basic services and create secure conditions for a transition to a new form of government.

The relatively small size of the coalition forces sparked controversy during the campaign, first when US supply lines came under attack from Iraqi regulars during the drive to Baghdad and later when US troops failed to protect the Baghdad museum and hospitals from looting.

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