Britain has transferred security responsibilities for Iraq's southern province of Basra to Iraqi forces, marking a major step in the withdrawal of British forces from Iraq.
The commander of British forces in Basra, Major General Graham Binns, and Basra Governor Mohammed Mosbah al-Waeli signed documents at a transfer ceremony Sunday to formally give Iraq control of the province.
Basra is the last of four provinces to be transferred by the British military to Iraqi control. It is also the ninth of Iraq's 18 provinces to be handed back to Iraqi forces by coalition troops - four-and-a-half years after a U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein.
A week ago, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited southern Iraq and confirmed that Basra province would soon be turned over to Iraqi control.
Britain plans to reduce its current force of 4,500 troops in Iraq by half by mid-2008.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
