A largely symbolic ceremony was held in Basra Sunday marking the transfer of security in the province to Iraqis from British forces, who had previously withdrawn from the city in September.

The event shines the spotlight on the willingness – and ability – of the central government and the Iraqi Army to exert their authority over Iraq's most strategic and resource-rich city, which is now in the grips of feuding militias. Some of those militias are beholden to Iran, or are criminal gangs and religious fundamentalists who have stepped up in recent weeks their campaign of killings against women, minorities, and secular figures. Just last week, a Christian brother and sister were shot on a Basra street by gunmen posing as police.

The Basra hand-off to Iraqi forces (they can still call on multinational forces for help), would be the sixth and most significant so far among the nine predominantly Shiite provinces of central and southern Iraq. Counting the three Kurdish provinces, Iraqi forces are now in charge of nine of 18 provinces.

"The British legacy in Basra is criminal gangs, a corrupt and infiltrated police force, and borders open to all," says a senior Iraqi Army official in the province, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of his remarks. "We are planning an operation to pursue these death squads."

The official says such an offensive would require at least two more Iraqi Army brigades in addition to the three brigades now in Basra under the command of Lt. Gen. Mohan Hafidh, who was appointed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The current police chief, Maj. Gen. Jalil Khalaf, was also appointed by Mr. Maliki in a bid to wrest control of a province that is home to the bulk of Iraq's vital oil reserves and its only seaports.

During Sunday's handover ceremony, the commander of British forces in Basra, Maj. Gen. Graham Binns, said he was confident that Iraqi forces would be up to the task. "I know they are ready [and] your leaders know they are ready," said General Binns, for whom this was an emotional moment since he was a brigade commander of British forces when they first entered Basra more than four years ago. It has been a controversial mission that has enjoyed little public support in Britain.

Britain has lost 174 military personnel in Iraq since 2003, and its forces have gone from being hailed for their soft approach toward the mostly Shiite population in the south to being under assault by ever-powerful militias. About 4,500 British soldiers remain in Basra at an air base next to the civilian airport. It is expected that this force will be reduced to 2,500 by next spring.

General Hafidh wasted no time in flexing his muscles, presiding immediately after the ceremony over a military parade in the former regime palace that had been vacated by the British in September.

Page: 1 | 2