Britain to transfer army base to Iraqis

Source: Associated Press

BASRA, Iraq - The Shaibah logistics base, once the main center of British military operations in Iraq, was turned over to the Iraqi national army on Tuesday for use as a training base.

The brief ceremony by British and Iraqi forces was the latest example of the coalition's efforts to give Iraqi forces control over some parts of Iraq as British forces plan to begin withdrawing from southern Iraq where most of them are based. Two other British bases — al-Saie and Shatt al-Arab — were turned over to Iraqi forces in Basra, Iraq's second largest city, in the last month.

The bulk of British soldiers in the city will now operate from a British base at Basra's main airport.

After Tuesday's ceremony, during which British and Danish flags were lowered at Shaibah and an Iraqi one raised, Maj. David Gell, the British military spokesman in Basra, said: "It was a significant event marking the increasing capability of the Iraqi security forces. "

...

It was the fourth province to come under full Iraqi security control since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, the others being the southern provinces of Dhi Qar, Muthanna and Najaf. Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie has said three Kurdish provinces in northern Iraq would follow next month, and then the southern provinces Karbala and Wassit.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070424/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_british_forces

pullout from the war------:woohoo:

built and described as such. The British parallel is like another planet. Bushco would only leave kicking and screaming and want to blow them up.