Iraq: The shooting went on into the early hours of yesterday morning, as the people of Kirkuk celebrated the election of a town mayor in Iraqi style: a barrage of gunfire into the heavens outside the new leader's house.Jack Fairweather Kirkuk reports from Northern Iraq
In a town that provides a litmus test for Arab Kurdish relations, the overwhelming popularity of the election will assure American planners that Kirkuk's majority Kurd population are happy to remain, at least for the time being, within a future federal structure for Iraq.
Following liberation there have been reports that Kurds were expelling Arabs from their homes in an attempt to reverse "Arabisation" policy in the town adopted after the first Gulf War by Saddam Hussein.
There was also a renewal of long-standing calls for Kirkuk to become the capital of the Kurdish autonomous zone, a call that has been greeted cautiously by Washington for fear the granting of the oil-rich town to the Kurds would lead to calls for an independent Kurdistan.
Yesterday, however, the new governor - selected from an American-approved list that had excited protest in the town last week for favouring Arab candidates - dispelled such concerns.
"This election shows that the Americans are willing to give power back to the people of Iraq. That power has not been given just to Kurds, but to Arabs, Assyrians and Christians: everyone who lives in Kirkuk," said the governor, Mr Abdul Rahman Mustapha. "This is not perfect democracy but it is the first step, of which we are very proud."
Still obviously awash with euphoria from the night before, Mr Mustapha, himself a Kurd, said: "I love Arabs, I love Christians, I love Kurds. They were all there shooting outside my house last night.
"I don't, of course, approve of the shooting," he added, though the glint in his eye seemed to suggest otherwise.
A similarly relaxed attitude to the night's shooting seemed to have been adopted by the American soldiers sauntering in the shade of Kirkuk's government buildings.
Whereas elsewhere in Iraq US troops have been criticised for their tense relationship with the local population, in Kirkuk they appear to have been taken to the hearts of the town's residents.
On his tank, Sgt Damon Darling was surrounded by children. "Can any of you remember what type of helicopter I told you that was over there?" he asked, pointing at a low-flying aircraft.
"Flying helicopter, orange helicopter, banana helicopter" came the replies.
"They're learning the military jargon," said Sgt Damon. "I think this is the first town I've been to in Iraq where I haven't had to shoot anybody. It's nice like that."
A passing group of men flashed the ubiquitous thumbs-up towards the sergeant. "That was one hell of a party you guys had last night," he shouted back.
Indeed, the only people in Kirkuk who appeared not to have enjoyed yesterday's celebrations were the town's doctors.
At the emergency wing of the hospital a steady stream of people had entered throughout the morning with gunshot wounds from festive bullets falling back to earth.
"It's a miracle that more people were not injured during the shooting," said Dr Ahmed Niez wearily, "but then again it is a miracle after all these years that we have had elections.