US hands all combat duties to Iraqis

Weekend violence across Iraq killed at least 60 people, officials said Sunday, a day after the US handed over control of all combat duties to Iraqi security forces.

The death toll from three explosions in the southern port city of Basra on Saturday evening, which officials said were caused by bombs and not a power generator short circuit as first believed, rose to 43 Sunday.

The weekend's violence comes ahead of Ramadan, which is expected to begin Wednesday or Thursday.

On the same day as the bombings, US General Raymond Odierno and Iraq's defense minister watched as the 4th Brigade of the 2nd US Infantry Division passed its re-sponsibilities to the 6th Iraqi Army Division, CNN reported.

"Today is an extremely important day, as we continue to progress toward turning over full responsibility to the Iraqi security forces," Reuters quoted Odierno as saying after the ceremony.

While this was the last combat brigade to hand over control to Iraqi forces, there will still be six brigades left in the country after US combat troops leave by the end of the month.

The six Advice and Assist Brigades will train and support Iraq's army and police.

Meanwhile, Iraq took delivery of the first 11 of 140 American M1A1 Abrams tanks.

According to the report, the remainder of the order will be completed by the end of 2011, when the US military is due to leave Iraq under the terms of a bilateral security pact.

"This step is part of preparations by Iraqi forces to take over security responsibilities and build a strong army as the US withdraws," Iraqi defense ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari told AFP.

However, the US' original mission, creating a peaceful and democratic Iraq, is still nowhere near completion.

The absence of a new government has created a power vacuum. Electricity in the sweltering summer heat is intermittent, and corruption is pervasive.

The New York Times noted that Iraq might be entering a period of uncertainty.

Wang Baofu, a military expert from the PLA National Defense University, said the seven-year war left Iraq chaotic amid conflict between different religious practices. That will be the next problem, which the new Iraqi government and the US need to solve.

Helping Iraqis revive agriculture, improve the management of scarce water supplies, rebuild a woeful healthcare sector, and bring the country's educational system up to international standards is work yet to be completed by the US, the Boston Globe said in an editorial Sunday.

Agencies - Global Times