WORLD> Middle East
US to hand over Anbar province to Iraq
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-28 06:16

WASHINGTON-- US troops will soon hand over control of Anbar province to Iraqi forces, a US military leader said Wednesday.

Related readings:
 Iraq, US eye troops withdrawal by end of 2011
James Conway, Commander of the US Marine Forces, told reporters at the Pentagon that the transfer means 10 of the all 18 Iraqi provinces will be under the control of Iraqi forces.

He said the decision was made possible due to a "dramatic" stabilization of the security conditions there since the end of 2007.

Conway added that a ceremony to hand control of Anbar province over to Iraq could be held in the next few days.

The move raises the expectations that the United States will further cut its troop level in Iraq later this year.