Aug. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Iraqi forces took full charge of security around Tikrit, Kirkuk and Samarra in a handover by U.S.- led coalition forces of part of northern Iraq.
The 4th Iraqi Army Division, which took control at a ceremony yesterday at a base in Tikrit, is the fifth of 10 Iraqi divisions to assume security responsibility in their country, the U.S. military said in an e-mailed statement.
``This benchmark of Iraqi leadership puts half of all Iraqi divisions truly in the lead, capable of coordinating, planning and conducting security operations without help from the Multinational Forces,'' the statement said. The Iraqis also assumed control of Forward Operating Base Dagger in Tikrit, the 48th of 110 bases transferred since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, the military said.
President George W. Bush has linked the withdrawal of more than 130,000 U.S. troops from Iraq to the ability of Iraqi security forces to police their country and rein in insurgents. U.S. military officials have said that handovers such as yesterday's aren't tied to specific withdrawals of U.S. troops.
The territory that was handed over extends from the foothills of Iraq's eastern mountains all the way west to the Syrian border, the Washington Post said today. The territory includes parts of three of Iraq's northern provinces, Salahad Din, As Sulaymaniya and At-Ta'mim, the U.S. military said.
Security operations in other northern territories are largely carried out by Kurdish forces.
The commander of the Iraqi division, Lieutenant General Abdul-Aziz Abdel-Rahman al-Mufti, said at a ceremony marking the handoff that he built his division from scratch starting two years ago.
``We had to search for many officers and soldiers,'' the U.S. military quoted him as saying. ``It was a very difficult job but thanks to God we have succeeded.''
U.S. General George W. Casey Jr. the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said at the ceremony that, while the Iraqi army has taken the lead in security, the U.S. will still provide help with intelligence, logistics and medical care, according to the U.S. military.