US hands "Triangle of Death" to Iraqi forces

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Source: CCTV.com | 10-24-2008 13:50

The US has handed over power to Iraqi forces in Iraq's Babil Province.

Maj. Gen. Michael Oates, U.S. commander south of Baghdad, right, shakes hands with Salim al-Musilmawi, Babil's provincial governor,during a transfer ceremony held in  the city of Hilla, near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon, on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Alaa al-Marjani)

Meanwhile, Washington is continuing to negotiate a security pact to remain in Iraq through 2011.

The security control in Babil is now in the hands of Iraqi troops.

After the 2003 invasion, US forces dubbed the area the "Triangle of Death" because of the high number of attacks against them in the region.

Now they have declared Babil is safe enough for Iraqi forces to take charge.

The province, south of Baghdad, is the 12th of Iraq's 18 provinces in which the primary responsibility for security has been given back to Iraqis.