U.S. transfers Anbar security to Iraqi control

Sectarian tensions in province still a threat to lasting peace

Associated Press

September 2, 2008

BAGHDAD - U.S. forces handed over security responsibility to the Iraqis yesterday in a province that the United States once feared was lost - a sign of the stunning reversal of fortunes since local Sunnis turned against al-Qaida in Iraq.

But a Sunni Arab leader criticized the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for failing to embrace its newfound allies, underlining the threat that sectarian tensions still pose to a lasting peace.

Nevertheless, the transfer of Anbar province, the cradle of the Sunni insurgency and the birthplace of al-Qaida in Iraq, marked a significant milestone in the U.S. plan to eventually hand over all 18 provinces to Iraqi control so American troops can go home.

The 25,000 U.S. troops remaining in Anbar will focus on training Iraq's military and police forces, and will remain on standby to help if the Iraqis are unable to cope with any surge in violence.

The ceremony was held under tight security in the center of Ramadi, the provincial capital where U.S. troops fought ferocious battles with al-Qaida and other Sunni insurgents until the tide turned last year.

"This war is not quite over, but it's being won, and primarily by the people of Anbar. Al-Qaida has not been entirely defeated in Anbar, but their end is near and they know it," Marine Maj. Gen. John Kelly, the senior U.S. commander in Anbar, said during the handover ceremony.

President Bush hailed the handover as a major achievement, saying the once-violent province had been "transformed and reclaimed by the Iraqi people."

"Iraqi forces will now take the lead in security operations in Anbar, with American troops moving into an overwatch role," Bush said in a statement. "This achievement is a credit to the courage of our troops, the Iraqi security forces, and the brave tribes and other civilians from Anbar who worked alongside them."

Anbar became the 11th province to revert to Iraqi security control, but it is the most significant because it borders Baghdad. The others have been in the peaceful Kurdish north or in the heavily Shiite south, which has proved less difficult for the Shiite-led government to control.

Anbar, a predominantly Sunni Arab expanse stretching from the western edge of the capital to the borders of Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, was long center stage of the war and a springboard for attacks inside Baghdad.

U.S. troops had planned to hand over Anbar in late June but postponed the ceremony because of sandstorms and a suicide attack that killed three Marines and 20 Iraqis, including locally prominent sheiks.

key events in anbar province

2003

April 28 U.S. soldiers fire on an anti-American demonstration outside a school, killing 16 protesters and bystanders.

Nov. 2 Chinook helicopter is shot down near Fallujah, killing 16 soldiers and wounding 26.

2004

Jan. 8 Black Hawk medevac helicopter, possibly hit by a rocket, crashes near Fallujah, killing nine soldiers.

Feb. 14 Insurgent assault on a police station kills 25 people in Fallujah, most of them policemen.

March 31 Four private security employees are ambushed and killed in Fallujah, their bodies hung on a bridge. Marines later attack the city but call off assault under intense political pressure from Iraqis and the city falls under insurgent control.

Nov. 8 U.S. forces launch a major assault in Fallujah using ground troops, tanks and aircraft, wresting back control in the most intense urban combat of the war.

2005

Dec. 1 Roadside bomb kills 10 Marines on foot patrol and wounds 11 near Fallujah.

May Sixteen American security guards are jailed by Marines in Fallujah after allegedly firing on U.S. forces and Iraqi civilians. Guards are sent back to the United States; none is charged.

2006

September Tribal leaders and clerics hold a series of meetings to establish Anbar Salvation Council with 20,000 volunteers to fight al-Qaida.

2007

Jan. 10 President Bush says more than 20,000 additional U.S. troops are being sent to Baghdad and Anbar.

April 6 Suicide bomber driving a truck loaded with TNT and chlorine crashes into police checkpoint in Ramadi, killing at least 27 people.

2008

June 27 Handover ceremony is delayed after forecast of sandstorms; later becomes clear it was also put off because of worries over political squabbling among Sunnis in Anbar.

Yesterday U.S. military hands Anbar over to Iraqis; 11th of 18 provinces to switch from U.S. to Iraqi control.

Source: Associated Press