BAGHDAD - An Iraqi army division has taken over from US forces in patrolling an area in Anbar province, the US military said on Tuesday, the first transfer on that level in the western heartland of the Sunni Arab insurgency.The 1st Iraqi Army Division officially assumed control of territory near the town of Habbaniya on June 2, between the towns of Ramadi and Falluja, it said in a statement. “The Iraqi unit is now responsible for planning and executing their own operations in Habbaniya,” the statement said, without specifying the size of the area. But US-led forces would continue to help with medical evacuation and fire support, it added.
It was the first division-level transfer of territory in Anbar, the statement said, adding that four Iraqi brigades and nine Iraqi battalions are also assigned territory there. “This transfer is another step to a free Iraq,” said US Lieutenant-Colonel Loris Lepri. The Iraqi unit in Habbaniya would continue to work with US-led teams in charge of “training and mentoring” Iraqi forces, the military statement said.