Iraqi-US troops on alert ahead of Anbar handover

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

RAMADI, Iraq (AFP) — Iraqi and US troops were on alert on Sunday in Anbar, once the fiercest battleground in the war-torn country, as the American military prepared to transfer security control to local forces.

"Our forces are ready to take the security responsibility tomorrow (Monday)," Majid al-Assafi, the new police chief of Anbar, told AFP.

"They are controlling the situation. Our troops are on alert to avert any failure of the transfer," he said.

Anbar, now a symbol of stability in Iraq, will be the first predominantly Sunni Arab province to be transferred to the Iraqis by the US military. It will also be the 11th of Iraq's 18 provinces to be handed over.

After the transfer, US forces will withdraw to their bases and will take part in any...