THE scenes of euphoria as Saddam's statue crashed to the ground have been likened to the moment when the Berlin Wall came down. It is an obvious comparison.

The destruction of both wall and statue is symbolic of breaking free from oppression, and the elation on the faces of the people was the same.

But there the likeness finishes. The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the start of a new era for a united Germany. The fall of Saddam's statue does not even mark the end of the Iraqi war.

That iconic moment has been superseded by events. News today that an American marine was killed during a fierce gun battle outside a Baghdad mosque shows that while the coalition is in charge, it is not yet in control.

The worry for all those with relatives fighting in Iraq goes on. However, that anxiety can now be mixed with intense pride that their loved ones have been part of a brave, professional and successful military operation.

We must hope that soon the "fog of war" will clear, and we can find answers to two pertinent questions: did the conflict achieve its ends; and what happens next?

In answering the first, we find a paradox. The coalition went into Iraq because Saddam was said to possess weapons of mass destruction, including a chemical armoury. We feared he would unleash them against our troops.

So our relief that this did not happen is accompanied by a nagging doubt as to whether Saddam was ever the threat to our security that the British and US governments made out.

What the coalition forces have confirmed is the bestial brutality of his regime. The torture chambers, with blood-soaked walls, are now silent of screams. Yet they speak volumes.

The people of Iraq are being prised away from this tyranny. For them it should be a new beginning. Once the war is over, it is essential that the world unites behind the cause of creating a stable, accountable Iraqi government.

Updated: 10:57 Thursday, April 10, 2003