The Iraqi army's 4th division took over operational control of central Salahuddin province on Monday from the U.S.-led coalition, the government said. It was the second of Iraq's 10 divisions to be come under direct Iraqi control since Sept. 7, when coalition forces handed over control of Iraq's armed forces command to the government. Despite the handover, nearly all the country's troops remain under American control. «Today, the operational responsibility was handed over to the Iraqi army's 4th division in Salahuddin province. And by the end of next October, about one-third of the Iraqi security forces will be under Iraqi control,» said government spokesman Ali al-Dabagh, the Associated Press reported. He added that Iraqi forces will take over security responsibility for southern Dhi Qar province on Thursday, making it the second of Iraq's 18 provinces to given over. British troops handed over control of southern Muthana province in July. «The security dossier in Dhi Qar province will be handed over to the Iraqi security forces from the Italian forces,» he said. Italy has about 1,600 troops in the country, mostly in Dhi Qar's capital of Nasiriyah, and that force is expected to be withdrawn by year's end. Romania has a battalion of about 402 soldiers in Dhi Qar out of a total of 628 in the country. Romania last month said it would withdraw some of its troops from Iraq as the government takes over military control of the province. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's military spokesman said Iraq's military and security forces had grown to 302,200. Brig. Qassim al-Mussawi said they included 172,100 Interior Ministry forces, and 130,100 soldiers and other troops under the control of the Defense ministry. «Every day we see the Iraqi security forces taking the lead to beat the insurgency and quell ethno-sectarian violence,» Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell said. «I would like to congratulate the Iraqi armed forces as the 4th takes over responsibility.» On Sept. 7, Coalition forces handed over control of Iraq's armed forces command to the government.
