U.S. troops hand over security of Karbala to Iraqis

Iraqi police parade as they take over from US forces in the holy city of Karbala. (Reuters)

The US military has handed over security responsibility of the mainly Shiite province of Karbala to the Iraqis. It's the eighth of the country's 18 provinces to revert to Iraqi control.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Karbala Governor Akil al-Khazali attended the hand- over ceremony. US Major General Rick Lynch says it is the beginning of a new phase in Iraq's history. Al-Maliki has congratulated the people from the province.

He says the southernmost province of Basra will be transferred to the Iraqis in mid-December. The British-led forces overseeing the area have already begun drawing down and have pulled back from the center of the provincial capital.