British forces formally handed over responsibility yesterday for the last region in Iraq under their control, marking the start of what Britain hopes will be a transition to a mission aimed at aiding the economy and providing jobs in an oil-rich region beset by militia infighting.
The commander of British forces in Basra, Major General Graham Binns, said the city had been pulled from the grip of its enemies.
"I now formally hand it back to its friends," Binns said shortly before he, Basra's governor and the Iraqi commander added their signatures to papers giving Iraq control of the far southern province.
PHOTO: AFP
Mowafaq al-Rubaie, Iraqi national security adviser, said Iraq was ready.
"The security improvements didn't come from nothing, but were the result of huge efforts from both the government and Iraqi people in fighting terrorism, extremism, militias and outlaws," al-Rubaie said.
But US officials worry that a power vacuum could heighten the influence of Iran and threaten land routes used by the US to bring ammunition, food and other supplies from Kuwait to troops in the north.
Binns said British forces would remain to help the Iraqis, but would be there "to support, not to direct, to listen, not to ignore."
Al-Rubaie said his country's ability to assume command of security in the southern region was a sign of the government's growing strength.
"We are planning and getting ready to our final war against terrorism north of Baghdad next year. The next year will be a year of rebuilding and prosperity," he said.
In Baghdad, there was some skepticism that Iraqi forces were ready to take control in Basra, but many agreed that the handover was a positive sign.
"I hope it will be followed by similar steps across the country. Such steps are good for Iraqis," said Awatif Qazaz, a resident of Baghdad.
But Osama Juwad said he feared the security forces had been infiltrated by militias.
Britain's participation in the US-led invasion of Iraq and the ongoing presence of troops is deeply unpopular in Britain -- as is the US$12 billion annual cost of operations there. A total of 174 British personnel have died in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion.
British officials have said they will retain the ability to help Iraqi troops quickly if widespread violence erupts, but they are also reducing the number of troops in the country from 4,500 to 2,000 by spring.
In the months following the invasion, there were 40,000 British troops in Iraq.
The main players in Basra and southern Iraq are the Shiite entities -- the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr; Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the largest Shiite political party and the Badr Brigade militia; and the Fadhila party, which also has its own fighters and a member who is Basra's governor.
Basra police chief Major General Jalil Khalaf survived two assassination attempts in a single week last month and has accused religious vigilante militias of terrorizing women and Christians in the city.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2