On the fourth anniversary of the U.S. occupation of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, "there is no possible triumph in Iraq and very little hope left," the New York Times said on Thursday.

In its editorial, the New York Times makes a general comparison between the situation during the days of four years ago and now.

"Four years ago this week, as American troops made their first,triumphant entrance into Baghdad, joyous Iraqis pulled down a giant statue of Saddam Hussein...Baghdadis took to the streets without fear, and American soldiers were hailed as liberators."

Now, however, "after four years of occupation, untold numbers killed by death squads and suicide bombers, and searing experiences like Abu Ghraib, few Iraqis still look on American soldiers as liberators."

Instead, thousands marked this week's anniversary by burning American flags and marching through the streets of Najaf chanting,"Death to America," said the newspaper.

On Monday, the Washington Post published a picture of Khadim al-Jubouri, an Iraqi in Baghdad, taking a sledgehammer to destroy a statue of Saddam Hussien on April 9, 2003, the day Baghdad fell to invading U.S. troops.

The Washington Post quoted Khadim al-Jubouri as saying "it has achieved nothing. We regret that Saddam Hussein is gone, no matter how much we hated him."

The New York Times' editorial also states that "Mr. (George W.)Bush is making a desperate gamble" by adding three months to the standard year-long tour for all active-duty soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan,

"He may be able to impose some relative calm on the capital (of Baghdad)," but "no lasting security gains are possible. More Iraqi and American lives will be sacrificed."

The editorial concluded that "the political trend is even more discouraging" in Iraq despite all the efforts made in the past four years.