IRAQ:US forces could hand over security in the vast Western province of Anbar to Iraqi forces as soon as March or April, after a remarkable turnaround of security in the one-time insurgent stronghold.
US forces spokesman Rear Admiral Gregory Smith said no firm date had been set for the handover of Anbar, once the most dangerous place in Iraq for US troops, and it would ultimately be up to Iraqi authorities to name a date.
However he said Anbar was now listed among the next few provinces to be turned over to Iraqi forces in coming months, and US and Iraqi officials had been meeting to discuss the conditions for a handover to take place.
"Within the next three-four months is a plausible timeframe for the turnover of Anbar province, but again only if conditions on the ground warrant turnover," Adm Smith said in an e-mailed response to questions.
Iraqi forces now control nine of Iraq's 18 provinces after assuming control of Basra in December. So far though, all the provinces under Iraqi control are either in the Kurdish north or the Shia south. Provinces such as Anbar, with large Sunni Arab populations, are still controlled by US forces, and handing them over to security forces under the command of the Shia and Kurdish-led central government in Baghdad would be a big step.
It was the main stronghold of the Sunni Arab insurgency, scene of the two biggest battles of the war in Fallujah in 2004. Just a year and a half ago, US forces acknowledged that al-Qaeda militants controlled the streets of many of its towns.
US president George W Bush noted on a visit to Anbar last September that he had been told by commanders a year before that the province had been lost.
However, from late 2006, Sunni Arab tribes in Anbar turned against al-Qaeda and made peace with US forces. It is now one of the quietest parts of the country where there is still a large US presence.
"Certainly in January 2007, no one could have predicted the dramatic changes that were eventually achieved in Anbar province over the past year. A great credit goes to the bravery of the people of al-Anbar," Adm Smith said.
A US appeals court has overturned Iraq war protester Cindy Sheehan's conviction for demonstrating without a permit outside the White House in 2005 and ordered a new trial.
Ms Sheehan had been handed a $50 fine and $25 administrative fee following the trial and conviction. She and four other members of an anti-war group had approached the White House and had requested a meeting with President Bush.