UK defense secretary in Baghdad on security hand-over
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, Aug 29, IRNA
UK - Iraq
The British Defense Secretary Des Browne is visiting Iraq to discuss the formal handing over of security in the south of the country, reports said on Monday.
The visit comes after Al-Muthanna province was handed over in July.
"I am pleased that Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq will soon be handed over to Iraqi control," the defense secretary said.
Dhi Qar will be the second of four provinces under UK military occupation in southern Iraq that will be handed over to local Iraqi control.
"It does mean that Iraq's security forces are now in a position to take the lead. I hope to see further provinces going through this process in the coming months," he added.
The hand-over of the two sparsely populated provinces will leave Basra and Maysan still under the British military control.
The freed troops are expected to be re-deployed in an overall plan to complete the other transitions by the middle of 2007, when the UK reportedly is hoping to have halved its deployment to less than 4,000 troops.
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