Special to WorldTribune.com

BAGHDAD — The United States has returned the second largest base in
Iraq.

The U.S. military has handed over Joint Base Balad north of Baghdad. The
handover on Nov. 8 marked the return of the second largest military base to
Iraq as the United States prepares to withdraw from the Arab League state.

Balad, operated by the U.S. Air Force’s 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing,
contains two 11,000 foot runways. Balad is second in size only to Victory
Base, the U.S. command center in Baghdad and scheduled to return to Iraqi control in December.

The handover was deemed a major step in the U.S. military withdrawal
from Iraq. About 30,000 American troops remain in Iraq as the pull out continues over the next six weeks.

The U.S. military occupies 11 bases in Iraq. At one point, the military
controlled 505 bases throughout the country.

The handover came as Iraq and the United States were discussing military
deployment in 2012. On Nov. 9, Vice President Joseph Biden examined future U.S. troop deployment levels with Kurdish Regional Government Prime Minister
Barham Saleh, head of the autonomous region in northern Iraq.

“They discussed a range of regional, political and security matters,
including the enduring strategic relationship between the United States and
Iraq,” the White House said.

  Barham Saleh, Joint Base Balad, now 11, U.S. Air Force 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, U.S. hands over major base to Iraq; once 505, Vice President Joseph Biden