BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S.-led forces turned over control of Iraq's military
command to the Shiite-led government Thursday, a key step toward the eventual
withdrawal of foreign troops.
Iraqi Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki , second left, takes a pen from top U.S. commander in
Iraq, Gen. George Casey, after signing a document which puts the Iraqi
prime minister in direct control of the country's military, at a ceremony,
in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday Sept.7, 2006. Coalition forces handed over
control of Iraq's armed forces command to the government on Thursday, a
move U.S. officials have hailed as a crucial milestone on the country's
difficult road to independence.[AP] |
But the ceremony in the heavily fortified Green Zone only transferred
authority for one of Iraq's 10 divisions and its small air force and navy, and
it remained unclear how quickly Iraqi forces would be prepared to take over
security.
A legislative session nearby, meanwhile, degenerated into a shouting match as
Sunni Arabs accused the majority Shiites of seeking to carve Iraq into sectarian
enclaves.
Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani interrupted a session after a draft
bill submitted by the largest Shiite party led to accusations from Sunni Arabs
that they were trying to divide Iraq. A live broadcast from parliament was
pulled off the air amid acrimonious debate.
Sunni Arab legislator Saleh al-Mutlaq threatened his people "will not stay in
a parliament that leads to the division of Iraq" and threatened to boycott any
session that sought to approve such legislation.
The concept of federalism is enshrined in the new Iraqi constitution, and the
Kurds in the north already have their own autonomous region. However, special
legislation and a referendum would be needed to establish a federation comprised
of autonomous regions.
Both the north and mainly Shiite south are rich in oil, and Sunni Arabs could
end up squeezed into Baghdad and Iraq's western provinces, which have no
resources. Many Sunnis fear that federalism will lead to the breakup of the
country.
On Thursday, Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki signed a document taking
control of Iraq's small naval and air forces and the 8th Iraqi Army Division,
based in the south.
The top U.S. general in Iraq, George Casey, promised to "continue to fight
with you to protect the Iraqi people wherever they are threatened."
"Today is an important milestone, but we still have a way to go," Casey said
during the ceremony.
Handing over control of the country's security to Iraqi forces is vital to
any eventual drawdown of U.S. forces here. After disbanding the remaining Iraqi
army following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, coalition forces have been
training the new Iraqi military.
The nine other Iraqi divisions remain under U.S. control, with authority
gradually being transferred. U.S. military officials said there was no specific
timetable for the transition but U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William
Caldwell said Wednesday the Iraqis have "talked about perhaps two divisions a
month."
And, in an apparent blow to press freedom in Iraq, the government ordered the
Arabic satellite network Al-Arabiya to shut its Baghdad operations for one
month, state television reported. The network said Iraqi police came to its
offices Thursday to enforce the order issued by al-Maliki's Cabinet.
Al-Arabiya said it did not know why it was being shut down. In July,
al-Maliki warned television stations against broadcasting footage that could
undermine the country's stability.
Attacks across Iraq killed at least 25 people. In Baghdad, six bombings,
including three by suicide car bombers killed at least 17 people.
The U.S. military command also said two soldiers and a Marine were killed
Wednesday in separate incidents. One soldier and the Marine died in Anbar
province west of Baghdad and the other soldier was killed near Hawija, 150 miles
north of the capital.
