U.S. turns over control of 12th Iraqi province

The U.S. relinquished control of a southern province that includes Sunni areas once known as the “triangle of death,” handing security responsibility to the Iraqi government on Thursday. In the capital, where insurgent attacks continue almost daily, a car bomber targeted a government minister’s convoy, killing at least 13 people.

Babil is the 12th of 18 Iraqi provinces to be placed under Iraqi control and a sign of the improving security. U.S. forces will remain in the area to assist the Iraqis when needed.
At a transfer ceremony held near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon, Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq, said security gains have been remarkable, with the number of attacks falling about 80 percent from an average of 20 per week a year ago.

With Babil’s handover to the Iraqi government, the only province left under U.S. control in southern Iraq is Wasit, a rural desert region that borders Iran and has been a conduit for the smuggling of Iranian-backed Shiite militants and weapons into Iraq.
Wasit will be transferred to Iraqi authorities on Oct. 29, said Maj. Gen. Michael Oates, U.S. commander south of Baghdad.