The US Marine Corps wrapped nearly seven years in Iraq Saturday, handing over duties to the Army and signaling the beginning of an accelerated withdrawal of American troops as the US turns its focus away from the waning Iraqi war to a growing one in Afghanistan. The Marines formally handed over control of Sunni-dominated Anbar. President Barack Obama has ordered all but 50,000 troops out of the country by Aug. 31, 2010, with most to depart after the March 7 parliamentary election. The remaining troops will leave by the end of 2011 under a US-Iraqi security pact. The changeover at Ramadi, west of Baghdad, leaves the US Army's 1st Armored Division with responsibility over both Baghdad and Anbar. As many as 25,000 Marines were in Iraq at the peak, mostly in Anbar province. The few thousand who remain - except for US Embassy guards and advisers in Baghdad - are expected to ship out in a matter of weeks.
