Iraq on Monday took over security control of the western province of Anbar from U.S. troops, a provincial security source said.
In a ceremony held in the provincial government building in the provincial capital city Ramadi under tough security measures, the U.S. military transferred the security file of the Sunni province to Iraqi security forces.
Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, Iraq's National Security Advisor announced the security transfer, saying "the Anbar province which once was one of the hottest areas in Iraq is celebrating today the transfer of security file."
Ma'moun al-Alwani, the governor of Anbar and the commander of the U.S. troops in the province signed the agreement of the handover during the televised ceremony.
A provincial security source said that the Iraqi security forces intensified security measures, including imposing curfew during the day ahead of the ceremony, which also included a parade for Iraqi security forces.
The ceremony was planned to be held earlier in June, but was postponed due to bad weather, including sandstorms, according to U.S. military statement.
However, media reports said that the delay was actually due to disputes between leading Sunni Islamic Party and local Awakening council groups in the province, headed by Ahmed Abu Risha.
Anbar would be the 11th of Iraq's 18 provinces to return to the control of Iraqi security forces. It would also be the first Sunni-dominated province to be handed over by the coalition forces.
Anbar, the country's largest province, expanding from Baghdad all the way west to the borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, has been relatively calm since more than a year and a half ago after Sunni tribes and anti-U.S. insurgent groups turn up against al-Qaida in Iraq network, cooperating with the U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces.
The other 10 Iraqi provinces handed over by U.S. forces to date are Qadisiyah, Maysan, Muthanna, Basra, Dhi Qar, Najaf, Karbala, and the three Kurdish provinces of Duhuk, Sulaimaniyah and Arbil.
(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2008)
