Iraqi army takes over from US in rebellious area

BAGHDAD, June 6 (Reuters) An Iraqi army division has taken over from US forces in patrolling an area in Anbar province, the US military today said, 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.

A US military spokesman declined to give the precise number of troops involved. A division is a group of brigades usually commanded by a major-general.

The desert province, a stronghold of Saddam Hussein's once-dominant Sunni minority, is the scene of frequent and deadly insurgent attacks against the US forces who invaded three years ago to overthrow the Iraqi strongman.

The United States is training Iraq's armed forces so that they can take charge of security and allow its 133,000 force to return home.

''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.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said after he took office on May 20 that his army and police, now numbering about 255,000, could take over security across the country by the end of next year.

But security experts have voiced doubt about their ability to take full control in the near future and say the United States is likely to retain a military presence for years.

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.

The transfer comes after the US military last week said al Qaeda militants had gained ground in Ramadi and that 1,500 extra US troops brought to Iraq would be used to try to break their grip on the town.

Reuters DKS GC1946