Violent deaths in Iraq were down to a third of what they were in July. (Hat Tip: Wizbang)
And as President Bush said a few months ago, as the Iraqis stand up, we’re standing down. Preparations are underway for Iraqi troops to come under Iraqi command:
The agreement, which the U.S. military says is a key step toward Iraq taking responsibility for its security, lays out a gradual transfer of command from U.S. forces to Iraqi units.
Under the timetable, every two weeks command of Iraqi units meeting certain criteria would be transferred until, by April 1, Iraqi troops in even the Sunni insurgent strongholds of Ramadi and Falluja would no longer be under U.S. command, Dabbagh said.
In parallel with this, control of security is being handed over province by province to Iraqi leaders, a process Dabbagh said would largely be complete this year, requiring U.S. forces then to receive approval for any movements across the country.
Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said Iraqi government lawyers had recommended that some articles of the document, drafted by U.S.-led forces, be rewritten.
"It is a very important document because it deals with the whole handover of sovereignty," Askari told reporters.
U.S. military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Barry Johnson called the disagreements "legalistic".
What this will mean is an eventual draw down in US forces, if everything goes as planned. Slowly but surely, we’ll see less role for US forces leading to some forces retruning home. The important thing is to hold out against the domestic forces of cut and run to get this thing done correctly.
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