US ran away in Iraq

The handover Monday "makes one think more of an abandonment than a solemn ceremony," said the daily Gazeta, which said the Americans had "fled the desert."

"Everything makes one think of a flight," said the daily Vremya Novostei on its front page. The United States handed over power early "to protect itself," the paper added. "The terrorists had surely prepared attacks to mark the day of the handover of power."

Izvestia said the United States was seeking to abandon its responsibility in leaving Iraq and in inviting the United Nations to play a role.