Iraqis to receive U.S. Army base in Wassit next July, U.S. Commander says

WASSIT / IraqiNews.com: The U.S. Forces are to hand over the American Army base east of southern Iraq‘s Wassit Province to the Iraqi forces next July, the Commander of the 3rd U.S. Knights Battalion said on Monday. “The U.S. forces shall hand over the Shakir Military Base in Badra town, 90 kms to the east of Kut, the center of Wassit Province, to the Iraqi Border Forces next July,” Colonel Molens told IraqiNews.com News Agency. The Shakir Army Base, used by the U.S. Forces as their headquarters in Zurbatiya township, close to the Iranian borders, being the last U.S. military base in Wassit Province, and parts of Delta base, 7 kms to the west of Kut. “The American forces have promised that their presence in Iraq won’t surpass the year 2011, and we have acted sine 2008 to achieve our promise,” Molens said, adding that “the U.S. forces had handed over 12 military positions to the Iraqi forces, in implementation of the Security Agreement, concluded between Iraq and the United States in November, 2008. He said that the U.S. forces “were committed to implement the said Security Agreement, according to which alll their forces withdraw from Iraq by the end of the current year,” adding that “the situation might change if the Iraqi governmetn demanded that, meaning that the U.S. forces would stay in Iraq after December 31, 2011.” SKH (TP)/SR 568