Anbar Returned to Iraqi Control

Excellent. 

The U.S. military handed over security control of the Iraqi province of Anbar to local forces on Monday, although a top U.S. commander said the drawdown of Marines in the former insurgent flashpoint would be gradual.

The province was once a locus of the Sunni Arab insurgency, and the scene of some of the bloodiest battles of the Iraq war.

The handover marks a major milestone in America’s strategy of turning security over to the Iraqis so U.S. troops can eventually go home.