NEW DEMOCRATIC IRAQ

Newsasia: Nine killed on first day of Iraq government, Turkish hostages freed

Three US soldiers and six Iraqis were killed in violence on the first day of business for Iraq's new government after it formally regained sovereignty from the US-led coalition.

As Ankara hailed the release of three Turks kidnapped in Iraq and threatened with decapitation, US President George W. Bush said NATO's agreement to train the new Iraqi army was "a crucial success for the Iraqi people".