Iraq has long been a source of news. Two stories coming out of it on Thursday are equally important.
 
The news of the elimination of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was followed by the announcement that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has finally named defence and interior ministers after an impasse with Sunni parliamentarians.

The new defence minister is Army General Abdul-Qader Mohammed Jassim al-Mifarji, a Sunni Arab, while Shiite Jawad al-Bolani took over the Interior post.

Will the ferocity of the insurgency in Iraq lessen after those changes?

When former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was captured in December 2003, it was believed to herald an extraordinary turnabout in Iraq. The reality has not proved that assumption correct.

The chaos that has followed the Saddam regime's collapse is extensive.

There are indeed reasons for all the chaos, murder and mayhem. Those reasons lie in the nature of invasion, war and, most crucially, occupation.

At his inauguration ceremony on May 21, al Maliki pledged that he would resort to "maximum force" if necessary to end the brutal insurgency and sectarian violence in the country.

The removal of al-Zarqawi could deal a heavy blow to the al-Qaida. It, nevertheless, is far from a victory over the terrorist organization.

Terrorism experts believe that much of the killing in Iraq today is not the result of Zarqawi's men, but of Sunni and Shiite militias engaged in a big fight for control of neighborhoods, towns, cities and the resources they control.

Hence, Zarqawi's death might not hold back insurgent violence and sectarian killings in Iraq. Baghdad has been placed under curfew to enhance security in the wake of two evening bombings in marketplaces that followed news that Zarqawi had been killed.

What difference the removal of al Zarqawi will make to the safety and stability of Iraq remains a big question.

Sectarian violence is one of the major challenges that the Iraqi Government has to tackle.

Completing the Cabinet is the first step to building al Maliki's authority over the feuding militia and his capability to rebuild the country.

Al Maliki has made reconciliation his priority. It is the right choice. Without reconciliation, it is impossible to end the insurrection, fear and suspicion on which the violence thrives.

He has taken steps to come to grips with Iraq's overwhelming problems and sectarian divisions since taking office last month.

His recent visit to Basra was designed to highlight a drive to crack down on the out-of-control Shiite militias and local police forces. This week, he began releasing thousands of detainees, many of them Sunnis held on relatively minor charges at some of Iraq's most notorious prisons.

His government is facing the mundane tasks of governing such as establishing order and helping meet the basic needs of the Iraqis.

The critical goal of establishing safety and stability is a long way off.

(China Daily June 10, 2006)