Iraq

US hands over security in Anbar province

Article published on the 2008-09-01 Latest update 2008-09-02 08:03 TU

Iraqi soldiers carry the logo of Anbar Province.
(Photo : Reuters)

Iraq's Anbar province, once the hub of the Sunni Muslim resistance fighting against United States army in the west of the country, was officially handed over to Iraqi government security forces on Monday.

During the ceremony held at the provincial government building in the provincial capital Ramadi, US soldiers gave a ceremonial knife in a wooden box and an American flag to the Iraqi authorities, while Sunni-Muslim tribal flags and Iraqi flags were hoisted up the flagpoles.

Anbar is the first Sunni-majority province to be returned to Iraq’s Shia-Muslim-dominated government control. It was where the bloody battles of Fallujah and Ramadi were waged in the years following the US-led invasion, resulting in an estimated 6,000 civilian deaths. A third of US casualties in Iraq since March 2003 - 1,305 soldiers - have been killed there.

As of Monday, the Iraqi government controls 11 of its 18 provinces, Anbar being the largest.

Mamoon Sami Rashid, the governor of Anbar, said that the transfer of security responsibilities was only achieved after a “lot of sacrifices and bloodshed”.

The violence in Anbar subsided when local Sunni tribes switched sides, stopping supporting the resistance and helping US forces in September 2006. Within a year, according to the US military, Anbar became the safest province in Iraq.

The US intends to keep its current deployment of 28,000 troops in the province, though they will be stationed in their bases, and will only participate in military operations if they are invited by the Iraqi military.

The local government commands a force of 37,000 soldiers and police, up from only 5,000 three years ago.

Despite growing autonomy in security matters, government members are scrambling to hold legislative elections originally scheduled for 1 October 2008. These elections have been postponed several times due to disagreements over the organization of the northern oil-rich province of Kirkuk.