US turns over control of 12th Iraqi province

UNCLASSIFIED

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 nearly 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.

But he cautioned that "while the enemies of Iraq are down, they are not
necessarily defeated."

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.

Other provinces that remain to be handed over are north of the capital,
where violence has been slower to decline after insurgents fled security
crackdowns in Baghdad and surrounding areas.

Salim al-Musilmawi, Babil's provincial governor, credited tribal leaders
and Sunnis who turned against al-Qaida in Iraq in a U.S.-funded revolt
with the downturn in violence.

"Today's security handover is the fruit of the victory over al-Qaida,"
he said at the ceremony, which included a brass band, marching army
squadrons and a simulated riot response by an armored police unit.

In Baghdad, the attacker rammed the car into the Labor and Social
Affairs Ministry convoy as it passed through the central Bab al-Sharji
area, a ministry spokesman said.

The Shiite minister, Mahmoud Mohammed al-Radhi, escaped unharmed but
three of his guards were killed, spokesman Abdullah al-Lami told
al-Arabiya TV station.

"It is the latest in a series of criminal acts that are targeting
development process in Iraq," al-Lami said.

At least 10 civilians were killed in addition to the guards, and 21
people were wounded, according to police and hospital officials, who
spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to
release the information.

Smoke and the smell of gunpowder filled the air. Drivers at a nearby
intersection sought shelter behind their cars until Iraqi security
forces ordered them to evacuate the area.

AP Television News video showed a burned SUV and the charred hulk of the
apparent car bomb surrounded by Iraqi security forces. The windows of a
nearby camera store were shattered, with torn pictures left among the
glass.

The attack highlights the continued security challenges in the capital
and other parts of Iraq amid a national debate over the future role of
foreign troops in the country.

Iraq's Cabinet decided earlier this week to ask the United States for
changes in a draft agreement that would keep the U.S. military here for
three more years, as Shiite lawmakers warned the deal stood little
chance of approval as it stands.

The government faced pressure from both sides on Thursday.

Britain called for the speedy completion of deals with it and the United
States, whose U.N. mandates - and legal basis - for a military presence
in Iraq expire on Dec. 31. Iran, however, urged Iraqis to reject the
deal.

Iraqis "are able to provide security in Iraq and block the influence of
foreigners," said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He made the
remarks in a meeting with the leader of Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish
region, according to his official Web site.

Oates said Tehran was "meddling in Iraq's politics" and warned that Iran
may use proxy groups to affect upcoming provincial elections that the
U.S. believes are essential for national reconciliation. The vote is
slated to be held by Jan. 31.

"We will see an increase in tension that probably will result in some
violence," Oates said in Babylon, warning that Iran-backed militants may
intimidate voters or even assassinate candidates.

"It's going to be tough enough to make the transition in this election,"
he added. "Iran just makes it tougher."

By BRADLEY S. KLAPPER
Associated Press Writer