Iraqi forces yesterday took over control of Anbar, once the most explosive battlefield in Iraq, from the US military, symbolising the growing security gains in the war-torn country.
The ceremony to transfer Anbar to local forces took place at the provincial governate building in Ramadi, the provincial capital, marking the handover of the 11th of Iraq's 18 provinces.
Anbar is the first Sunni province to be returned to Baghdad's Shia-led government.
"I would like to announce that the (Anbar) transfer from the US to Iraqi forces is done," said Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security advisor at the handover ceremony.
Police said tens of thousands of Iraqi and US troops were on alert across the vast desert province in western Iraq, home to some two million people.
The US military said the transfer of security was an "important milestone... but does not necessarily mean that the security situation is stable or better."
"It means the government and the provincial authorities are ready to take the responsibility for handling it."
After the transfer, US forces will withdraw to their bases and will take part in military operations only if requested by the provincial governor.
Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin, the number two commander of US forces in Iraq, said the transfer "demonstrates the capability of the Iraqi forces."
"Together with the Iraqi forces, I am sure we will keep Al-Qaeda and all the insurgents from returning to Anbar province," he said during the handover, adding a warning that the jihadists were still not defeated.
Sunni Arabs in Anbar were the first to turn against US forces after the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime by US-led invasion forces in 2003, mounting a raging insurgency that tore through the world's most sophisticated military.