Iraq takes over

American military disengagement from Iraq continued yesterday with the transfer of Babil to local control.

That achievement, in a province whose northern district was known as "the triangle of death", was in part due to the Awakening Councils, Sunni militias who turned against the foreign jihadists.

Their formation and the surge in American troop deployment mean that 12 out of the country's 18 provinces are now under Baghdad's command, with Wasit expected to follow shortly.

Read the full article on the Telegraph.co.uk