This is a huge pivotal time in the Iraq War as U.S. troops transition the control of Anbar province over to Iraqi troops and Awakening members. Let's not forget that at one time, Anbar province was OWNED by al Qaeda - U.S. troops at one time called Anbar the most dangerous part of Iraq. And now, U.S. troops will basically be on call there and will look to be shifted to other areas. Here's some of the details over at CNN:
What this truly represents is the defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq - it's a symbolic event, for sure. People forget how Anbar province was probably the clearest signal of what was really happening in the Iraq War. While confused politicians like Joe Biden and John Murtha and Harry Reid all called the Iraq War a "civil war" between Sunnis and Shias, the real fact was evident in Anbar that al Qaeda had taken over and were busy killing local Iraqis and U.S. troops. Anbar became the shining star of al Qaeda in Iraq. Then, with the brilliance of Petraeus' surge couple with the birth of the Sunni Awakening in Anbar, al Qaeda found themselves in a dogfight and eventually, their control and plans were decimated.
Anbar would be the 11th of Iraq's 18 provinces to revert to local security control. The move comes amid a big drop in violence in Iraq and calls from Iraqis for the United States to come up with a troop withdrawal timetable.
The other provinces that have transitioned to Iraqi security control are Duhuk, Irbil and Sulaimaniya in the Kurdish region and Karbala, Najaf, Qadisiya, Muthanna, Thiqar, Basra and Maysan in the Shiite south.
Anbar would be the first Sunni-dominated province to revert to Iraqi security control.
What this truly represents is the defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq - it's a symbolic event, for sure. People forget how Anbar province was probably the clearest signal of what was really happening in the Iraq War. While confused politicians like Joe Biden and John Murtha and Harry Reid all called the Iraq War a "civil war" between Sunnis and Shias, the real fact was evident in Anbar that al Qaeda had taken over and were busy killing local Iraqis and U.S. troops. Anbar became the shining star of al Qaeda in Iraq. Then, with the brilliance of Petraeus' surge couple with the birth of the Sunni Awakening in Anbar, al Qaeda found themselves in a dogfight and eventually, their control and plans were decimated.
Iraqi troops to take control of former restive province
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S.-led coalition troops are scheduled to hand over control of a onetime hub of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq to Iraqi forces on Monday, a senior American military official said.
The security transfer in Iraq's Anbar province originally was set for June, but it has been delayed twice.
The first postponement was blamed on a sandstorm, but days before the ceremony was to take place, there was also a suicide bombing at a meeting of tribal sheikhs in an Anbar town west of Baghdad.
The official said the handover was rescheduled after the sandstorm, but a new transfer date was not announced. The transfer then was delayed because Iraqi officials disagreed over how they would handle certain issues, the official said.
More than 25,000 U.S. troops, mostly Marines, serve in Anbar province. They will remain for the time being, the official said, but will shift their mission to supporting Iraqi forces when needed.
The turnover comes as Gen. David Petraeus -- the top U.S. commander in Iraq -- is scheduled to begin making his recommendations to President Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates on U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, the official said.
The proposals could come as soon as month's end or in early September and could cover withdrawals over the next six to eight months, the official said.
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