Iraqis Now Responsible for Al Anbar Province
Received this in a newsletter from Marine Corps Mobilization Command:
On Monday, following a parade on a freshly paved street, American commanders formally returned responsibility for keeping order in Anbar Province, once the heartland of the Sunni insurgency, to the Iraqi Army and police force. The ceremony capped one of the starkest turnabouts in the country since the war began five and a half years ago.
The transfer of authority codified a transformation that Iraqi and American officers say has been in effect since April: the Iraqi Army and the police operate independently and retain primary responsibility for battling the insurgency and crime in Anbar. The Americans, who had long done the bulk of the fighting, have stepped into a backup role. With the transfer on Monday, Iraq now bears the primary responsibility for maintaining security in 11 of its 18 provinces.
When I was in Al Anbar during 2006 this would have seemed unfathomable. It’s very refreshing to see transfers of authority proceeding. Kudos to the Marine Corps for taming the wild wild west (western Iraq).
I know what you mean. I’ll get emails from guys I deployed with who are back over there now and all they say is how different it is and how boring it is. I’m very glad to see all the hard work paying off in Anbar. A lot of closure…