WASHINGTON (AFP) - US forces will hand over control of Anbar province to Iraqi troops in the coming days, military officials said Wednesday, touting improved security in the region. "We believe the province could turn over to Iraqi control in just a few days," Marine General James Conway said."The change in the Al-Anbar province is real and perceptible," said Conway of the majority Sunni region, which is Iraq's largest. "Anbar remains a dangerous place but the ever growing ability of the Iraqi security forces continues to move us closer to seeing Iraqi control of the province."
"They are doing a very good job of this nation-building business" in Anbar Conway added.
Conway expressed the hope that the handover of the Anbar province to Iraqi control will allow the Pentagon to redeploy troops elsewhere. "It's our view that if there is a stiffer fight going some place else, in a much more expeditionary environment where the Marine air-ground task force really seems to have a true and enduring value, then that's where we need to be," Conway said.
Wednesday's announcement of the impending handover of Anbar was seen in the United States as a political boon to the administration of President George W. Bush and his hopeful Republican successor in November's election, John McCain. Success in Iraq was likely to be a major theme when the Republicans next week hold their convention to nominate McCain as the party's candidate for the White House.
Democrat Barack Obama, who has demanded an end to the war and a rapid pullback of US combat troops, could suffer politically if vehement anti-war sentiment diminishes, pundits say.