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N.Korea Told to Return Captured U.S. Navy Boat Former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan asked North Korea to return the USS Pueblo to the U.S. during his visit to Pyongyang early March, a member of his entourage said Thursday. North Korea hijacked the U.S. Navy ship off the coast of Wonsan in January 1968, claiming it had crossed into North Korean waters. According to the aide, after looking at the Pueblo, which is on display near the Taedong River, the former prime minister told officials of the North’s Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation that the return of the captured ship...

The Iraqi flag is raised in the Old State Building as the Iraqi Army takes over control of the building from coalition forces. Ministry of Defence photo by Cpl Ian Forsyth, RLC. BASRAH — The first Coalition Forces base, the Old State Building in Basrah City, was handed over to the Iraqi Army March 20.The Iraqi Army took control of the base in a 45-minute-long parade which saw the raising and lowering of the flags of each country.A Press conference to mark the occasion at Basra International Airport was attended by Governor Wa’ili - the Governor of Basrah, General Habib...

BAGHDAD — Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, Multi-National Force – Iraq spokesman, spoke to members of the Arab media during a round-table discussion Thursday in the wake of President Bush’s meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Amman, Jordan. During the president’s meeting with the prime minister they agreed to “accelerate” the transfer of security responsibility from Coalition Forces to Iraqi Security Forces. Caldwell told reporters Coalition Forces would do their best to quell violence in Iraq for as long as the Iraqi Government needed them. The transition of responsibility would occur when Iraqi leaders are ready, and not...

American and Iraqi officials have set a date for giving Iraq’s forces responsibility for security across the country.Under a plan to be presented to the UN Security Council next month, the Iraqi Government would assume authority from coalition troops by the end of next year. Only hours after Donald Rumsfeld was replaced as US Defence Secretary, American, British and Iraqi officials spoke openly about accelerating the handover process. Baghdad made clear that it would use the Democrat victory in congressional mid-term elections to push President Bush for concessions. Confidants of Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, said that they hoped...

Defence Secretary Des Browne chats to British troops during a visit to Iraq in May 2006. The Iraqis have passed yet another major milestone with the hand over of Dhi Qar province last week. It is the second province - Al Muthanna being the first - to be handed over to Iraqi control. UK Defence Secretary Des Browne congratulated the Iraqi people, saying, “I am pleased that Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq is today being handed over to Iraqi control. I congratulate the Iraqis on this achievement, along with our Italian and Romanian partners, whose hard work has...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2006 – Continual training with coalition forces has increased the capabilities of the Iraqi army and police in northern Iraq and allowed the local forces to take responsibility for more territory and work toward the future of the country, the U.S. commander in the area said today. “In an area of responsibility that exceeds 47,000 square miles, we have leveraged the full spectrum of assets in order to engage the population and neutralize the enemy,” Army Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Turner, commander of Multinational Division North, said in a news conference via satellite from Iraq. “Iraqi security...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2006 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is now officially the commander in chief of his troops. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and U.S. Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. sign documents to mark the hand-over of control of the Iraqi armed forces to Maliki. U.S. Army photo  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Coalition forces handed over operational control of Iraq’s navy, air force and the 8th Iraqi Army Division in a ceremony today at the Ministry of Defense in Baghdad’s International Zone. “It’s fitting I follow the commander in chief of the Iraqi forces,” said...

The US-led coalition in Iraq has formally handed control of the country's armed forces to Prime Minister Nouri Maliki. He signed an accord with the US military at a delayed ceremony in the capital, Baghdad. The first units to be transferred are Iraq's small navy and air force, and the 8th Army Division, based in Najaf. But correspondents say it is unclear how fast the complete transfer of security control can be achieved. The handover ceremony is five days later than scheduled, although the delay has not been explained. US-led forces disbanded what was left of the Iraqi army after...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2006 -- For the first time since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, the Iraqi prime minister, through the Iraqi minister of defense, will take operational control of the Iraqi ground forces command structure and the country’s air forces and navy tomorrow, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said today. “This is such a huge, significant event that's about to occur tomorrow,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. “It's the one event that puts the prime minister directly in the operational control of his military forces as his role as the...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq will take control of its armed forces command on Thursday, a major step on its painful path toward independence and an essential move before international troops can eventually withdraw.Despite the progress, there was more bloodshed with at least 36 people killed across the country in car bombs, mortar attacks and drive-by shootings. Police also found 29 bodies. “This is such a huge, significant event that’s about to occur tomorrow,” U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said of the shift in the Iraqi command. “If you go back and you map out significant events that have...

Iraq to take control of armed forces By ELENA BECATOROS, Associated Press Writer 31 minutes ago BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq will take control of its armed forces command on Thursday, a major step on its painful path toward independence and an essential move before international troops can eventually withdraw. Despite the progress, there was more bloodshed with at least 36 people killed across the country in car bombs, mortar attacks and drive-by shootings. Police also found 29 bodies. "This is such a huge, significant event that's about to occur tomorrow," U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said of the...

BAGHDAD — The United States and Iraq hope to sign an agreement by next week to hand operational command of Iraq’s new army to Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki, Iraq said yesterday, after wrangles on wording had held up the accord. A day after the government hailed the arrest of Al Qaeda in Iraq’s purported deputy head as a coup against insurgents, the bodies of 33 men, some with their hands bound and bearing signs of torture, were found in Baghdad, and foreign forces announced the death of four Americans and two British soldiers. South of the capital, the US-trained...

U.S., Iraq near handover By Ibon Villelabeitia BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United States and Iraq hope to sign an agreement by next week to hand operational command of Iraq's new army to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq said on Monday, after wrangles on wording had held up the accord. A day after the government hailed the arrest of al Qaeda in Iraq's purported deputy head as a coup against insurgents, the bodies of 33 men, some with their hands bound and bearing signs of torture, were found in Baghdad, and foreign forces announced the death of four Americans and two...

BAGHDAD – The Iraqi Ground Forces Command assumed command and control here today of one of its Iraqi Army divisions from the Multi-National Corps-Iraq, marking the first step toward Iraqi sovereignty over their own armed forces. The 8th Iraqi Army Division, commanded by Maj. Gen Othman Ali Salih Farhood, which had reported to Multi-National Division-Baghdad as a subordinate unit, will now report directly to the IGFC as an adjacent unit to MND-B. It was the first Iraqi Army division to take the lead in its sector on January 27, 2006. In a gradual sequence over the following months, the IGFC...

BAGHDAD, Sep. 1, 2006 – The Iraqi Ground Forces Command assumed command and control here today of one of its Iraqi army divisions from the Multinational Corps Iraq, marking what officials here said is the first step toward Iraqi sovereignty over the country’s armed forces. The 8th Iraqi Army Division, commanded by Maj. Gen Othman Ali Salih Farhood, which had been a subordinate unit of Multinational Division Baghdad, will now report directly to the IGFC as an adjacent unit to MND-B. When the division took the lead for operations in its sector on Jan. 27, it was the first to...

Iraqi Soldiers Take the Lead Two battalions of the Iraqi Army assume responsibility of security for the majority of Kirkuk Province. By U.S. Army Spc. Michael Alberts 1st Brigade Combat Team, (Air Assault) KIRKUK, Iraq, Sept. 1, 2006 -- Soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division transferred responsibility of security for the majority of the Kirkuk Province to two battalions of the Iraqi Army during a ceremony at an Iraqi military compound just outside of Kirkuk, Aug. 31. “With this ceremony, we complete the transfer of security responsibilities from our friends, the Coalition Forces, to our...

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, Nouri al-Maliki said Iraqi forces will assume responsibility for Dhi Qar province in the south, making it the second out of 18 provinces that the Iraqis would take control of. The Iraqis took over Muthanna province in the south from British forces in July.

TIKRIT, Iraq (Army News Service, Aug. 18, 2006) – Third Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division handed over Forward Operating Base Remagen to the 4th Iraqi Army Division Wednesday. In the hand-over ceremony, FOB Remagen was renamed Saad Bin Abi Waqas, an Iraqi hero and commander-in-chief of Muslim forces who was victorious over the Persian army at the battle of Qadisiyya in 636 A.D. Maj. Gen. Abdul Jabar, commander, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, thanked the Coalition Forces and the Iraqi government for giving him and his Soldiers the facility. Deputy Governor of...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq, Aug. 17, 2006 – The 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, officially assumed responsibility for security in parts of Mahmudiyah, Yusufiyah and Lutufiyah, Iraq, earlier this week. Iraqi army soldiers from 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, stand with the colors of their country held high during a transfer of authority ceremony in Mahmudiyah on Aug. 14. Photo by Spc. George Welcome, USA  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. During the Aug. 14 transfer of authority ceremony at the Iraqi army compound in Mahmudiyah, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, transferred to...

Soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division capture insurgents during a demonstration of military ability that took place at Forward Operating Base Mahmudiah South Monday. Story and photos by Sgt. Trevor Snyder124th Mobile Public  Affairs Detachment BAGHDAD -- Iraqi forces took control of another area of Baghdad on Monday after the latest in a series of transfer of authority ceremonies near the capital. Army Col. Claude Ebel, commander of the 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division said responsibility for Forward Operating Base Mahmudiyah South, a base of operations for security forces south of the capital, was transferred to...