Originally published Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Comments (0)
E-mail article
Print view
U.S. hands over Anbar control
Two years ago, Anbar Province was the most lethal place for U.S. troops in Iraq, with a Marine or a soldier dying here nearly every day...
RAMADI, Iraq — Two years ago, Anbar Province was the most lethal place for U.S. troops in Iraq, with a Marine or a soldier dying here nearly every day. The provincial capital, Ramadi, was a moonscape of rubble and ruins, and Islamic extremists controlled large pieces of territory.
On Monday, after a parade on a freshly paved street, U.S. commanders formally returned responsibility for keeping order in Anbar Province, once the heartland of the Sunni insurgency and the birthplace of al-Qaida in Iraq, to the Iraqi army and police force.
The transfer marked a dramatic milestone in America's plan to eventually hand over all 18 provinces to Iraqi control so U.S. troops can go home.
The 25,000 U.S. troops remaining in Anbar will focus on training Iraq's military and police forces and standing by to help if the Iraqis are unable to cope with any surge in violence.
The ceremony capped one of the starkest turnabouts in the country since the war began 5 ½ years ago.
In the past two years, the number of insurgent attacks in Anbar has dropped by more than 90 percent. Al-Qaida in Iraq has been severely degraded, if not crushed. Since February, U.S. commanders said they had cut the number of Marines and soldiers here by more than a third.
The transfer of authority codified a transformation that Iraqi and U.S. officers say has been in effect since April: The Iraqi army and police operate independently and retain primary responsibility for battling the insurgency and crime in Anbar.
The Americans, who had long done the bulk of the fighting, have stepped into a backup role. With the transfer Monday, Iraq now bears the primary responsibility for maintaining security in 11 of its 18 provinces.
"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.
Still, as the parade marched along Main Street, the signs seemed mostly good. The ceremony was a mostly Iraqi affair, with U.S. Marines and soldiers wearing neither helmets nor body armor, nor carrying guns.
The festive scene became an occasion for celebration by Iraqis and Americans, who at several moments wondered aloud in the sweltering heat how things had gone from so grim to so much better, so fast.
"Not in our wildest dreams could we have imagined this," said Mowaffak al-Rubaie, the national-security adviser, who flew in for the ceremony from Baghdad.
"Two or three years ago, had we suggested that the Iraqis could take responsibility, we would have been ridiculed ... ."
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
E-mail article
Print view Share:
Digg
Newsvine
![]()
NEW - 10:35 PM
Iraq election likely delayed again

New Beginnings Christian Fellowship
Coming in this Sunday's Pacific Northwest Magazine: Pastor Braxton's mission is to preach a message that appeals to everyone.
general classifieds
Garage & estate salesFurniture & home furnishings
Sporting goods
just listed
Alto Saxophone - $400
ATV POLARIS TRAILBLAZER - $1800
Aynsley Henley China - $80
More listings
POST A FREE LISTING
shopping
events for Tuesday, Nov. 24
- 4 Your Eyes Only Optical Frame Sale
- November sale at Mercer
- Sur La Table November sale
- Anniversary Sale at Veridis Clothier
editors' picks
More shopping guides- Two men in Everett shoot each other early today
- Steve Kelley | Next Seahawks GM should be Mike Holmgren
- Mariners Blog | Jose Lopez appears to be on his way out
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Amazon, Wal-Mart escalate Web price war
- As glam as he wants to be: Adam Lambert's real debut
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Bellevue Blog | Bellevue residents blast new bikini espresso stand
- Big demand, grim outlook for state Basic Health Plan
- Husky Men's Basketball Blog | An interview with Enes Kanter's coach
- Illegal workers quietly let go
441 - Bellevue residents blast new bikini espresso stand
248 - Jose Lopez appears to be on his way out
221 - Big demand, grim outlook for state Basic Health Plan
196 - Next Seahawks GM should be Mike Holmgren
142 - Washington State coach Paul Wulff says he's excited about Cougars' future
137 - Some fans at Fort Bragg see themselves in Sarah Palin
81 - Hate crimes against gays, religious groups up, FBI says
76 - Man shoots self at Westlake Center
59 - Teen pimp found guilty of human trafficking
55
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Architects, chefs find 'kid' within to build Gingerbread Village
- Nicole Brodeur | Homeless woman bent on giving
- Portland cafe's specialty: medical-marijuana tokes
- Big demand, grim outlook for state Basic Health Plan
- Hutch gets $10M from Bezos family for immunotherapy research
- Rediscovering Moab, 'the most beautiful place on Earth'





