"December 22, 2007 -- An uncertain chapter opened in Iraq this week, as British forces officially ceded control of Iraq's oil-rich southern province of Basra to the country's fledgling security services.
What comes next is unclear, but the handover is certainly evidence that - even in Iraq - time marches on.
The move formalizes the situation on the ground since September, when British forces retreated to the outskirts of the province's major city. By spring, only 2,500 British troops will remain in all of Iraq, almost exclusively in a support and training role.
In important ways, this is a good sign."
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12222007...raq_528659.htm