Iraq ready to take control of Basra: Iraqi PM tells Des Browne
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Iraq is ready to take over security in the entire southern province of Basra from the British military, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told visiting Defence Secretary Des Browne on Wednesday.
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Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki declared Saturday that Iraqi forces could secure the country on their own âany timeâ American troops decided to withdraw.
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Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Thursday he may soon be ready to name the two men who will be charged with carrying out his pledge to take over security for Iraq within 18 months.
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BASRA, Iraq -- Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who is responsible for bringing democracy to Iraq, got a stirring taste of electoral politics on a recent swing through the impoverished Shi'ite south of the country.
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Security control for a province that was once Iraq's most dangerous could transfer to Iraqi forces by March, say officials.
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British Prime Minister Tony Blair agreed with Iraq&#039;s new leadership Monday that Iraqi security forces would start assuming full responsibility for some provinces and cities next month, beginning a process leading to the eventual withdrawal of all coalition forces.
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Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi says there are new military plans to defeat the insurgency gripping Iraqi cities, and he says his government will hold elections in January as scheduled.
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British forces formally handed over responsibility for Basra province Sunday, the last region in Iraq under their control.
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Iraq's interim Interior Minister Falah  al-Naqib said Monday he believed the country could establish  full control of its internal security within 18 months.
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Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Thursday his government's forces would be able to take over security command from U.S. troops by June 2007 -- a move which could allow the United States to start withdrawing.
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Iraq formally took security control of the southern oil province of Basra from British forces on Sunday, paving the way for Britain to sharply reduce its nearly 5,000-strong troop presence.
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Iraq's prime minister said his forces   should control most of Iraq by the end of the year, as   President George W. Bush launched a round of pre-election   speeches on Thursday urging Americans to back U.S. engagement.
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Britain expects to be able to withdraw "thousands" of its troops from Iraq by the end of 2007, Britain's Defense Minister Des Browne said on Monday.
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British forces have launched one of their biggest operations in Basra in three years as Prime Minister Tony Blair met US officials to seek a new strategy to end the &quot;hugely challenging&quot; crisis in Iraq.
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The handover of the oil-rich province of Basra by the British military to Iraqi forces will not diminish Britain's role in Iraq, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Monday.
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Iraq&#39;s interim prime minister declared Sunday that January elections would be held on schedule and asserted that American and Iraqi government troops were winning the war against an increasingly bold insurgency.
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Prime Minister Gordon Brown defended Monday the withdrawal of troops from Basra city in Iraq, but the move will do little to ease mounting signs of tension between London and Washington.