'Milestone' Iraq handover by troops

The move was described by Defence Secretary Des Browne as a "milestone".

The formal transition of responsibility for security in Maysan was announced by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki on Wednesday morning, after he completed an assessment of the capability of local security and police forces.

Maysan is the third of four UK-controlled provinces to be handed back to Iraqi authorities and the fourth across Iraq as a whole.

It leaves only Basra under British control and marks a further step towards the eventual withdrawal of UK forces.

Wednesday's transfer of security responsibility will not result in any immediate reduction in numbers of UK personnel in Iraq.

British forces withdrew from their base in the province, Camp Abu Naji, last August and have operated in a back-up role since then, working on border security and remaining ready to intervene in support of Iraqi forces if needed. There are no UK troops permanently based in Maysan.

Welcoming the handover, Mr Browne said: "I congratulate the Iraqis on what they have achieved in a relatively short period. This is the third of the four provinces we are responsible for to be transferred to the Iraqis - and the fourth across Iraq as whole.

"The progress made in transferring responsibility of these provinces demonstrates the sheer hard work and dedication of the Iraqis, the UK forces and our coalition partners in southern Iraq. We need to recognise, however, that security challenges remain in all three provinces.

"Iraqi authorities now have the ability to deal with the vast majority of circumstances they are likely to face. The next few months are likely to provide a crucial test of their new capabilities and UK and coalition forces will need to continue with our training and mentoring work to support them."