Spanish-led troops take control of Najaf from US

23 September 2003, 18:00 PM

AFP, Najaf

US Marines Commander General John Kelly (L) gestures as Polish Major General Andrzej Tyszkiewicz (C) and Spanish General Alfredo Cardona, head of the Plus Ultra brigade of Spanish, Salvadoran and Honduran troops, shake hands at the end of a joint parade in the military headquarters in Najaf in central Iraq yesterday. US Marines handed over control of the troubled Iraqi holy Shiite city to Spanish-led troops, including contingents from Latin America, after resolving a spate of logistic headaches.

US Marines yesterday handed over control of the troubled Iraqi holy city of Najaf to Spanish-led troops, including contingents from Latin America, after resolving a spate of logistic headaches. Marines commander General John Kelly transferred authority to Spanish General Alfredo Cardona, head of the Plus Ultra brigade of Spanish, Salvadoran and Honduran troops at a joint parade in the military headquarters here. Cardona said his men would work "body and soul" to ensure security and quality of life in the region. "Security is our priority in this province but we also have a mission to meet the needs of the people and rebuild their infrastructures", he added. US marines have been withdrawing from the province for several days ahead of the handover. From Tuesday the holy city of Najaf was being patrolled by some 720 Honduran and Salvadoran troops, assisted by some of the 1,200 Spanish soldiers deployed in the region. "Over the last two days the Salvadorans and Hondurans have received their vehicles and communications equipment that they needed to function correctly," Spain's Major Jose Luis Sanchez Falero told AFP. The Latin brigade will take responsibility for one of Iraq's most sensitive corners, which is still reeling from an August 29 car bombing that killed a revered Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer al-Hakim and 82 other people at a main shrine. Najaf, 180 km south of Baghdad, posed a delicate problem for the Americans, who insisted on disarming the Iraqi militias that poured out onto the streets after the bombing and for the funeral three days later. But a looming showdown appeared to have been averted with agreement on a special force to protect Muslim holy places, and the militias have taken a low profile in the last week. Cardona also said in a recent interview that when his men take control of Najaf, the "only armed force that will be authorised will be the coalition on the one hand and the Iraqi police on the other."