Officials said the Iraqi government, in cooperation with the U.S.
military, would take direct control of the International Zone on Jan. 1.
They said the Iraqi military and police would also assume the lead role in
securing national elections on Jan 31.
In a briefing on Dec. 20, Atta said Iraqi authorities would also reopen
Sunni neighborhoods in Baghdad, blocked since 2006. He said numerous
security barriers would be removed as the government attempts to normalize
life in the capital.
The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority would also begin to assume
responsibility for the nation's air space. Officials said this would mark a
long-term effort as Iraq acquires radars and air defense systems from the
United States.
Perkins said the U.S.-led coalition has dropped from 169,000 to
148,000 soldiers since June 2008. He said the coalition has relayed more
than 30 areas and facilities to the Baghdad government since July.
"You'll see more and more of our bases where we operate in, and other
areas and facilities will probably transition initially to joint areas where
we have coalition and Iraqi, and then as we pull back out of the cities, as
we continue to decrease our forces, it will then become Iraqi-only," Perkins
said. "So I think you're going to continue to see this transition that has
been ongoing for a year, but it will be accelerated."
Officials said the security situation in Iraq, despite the improved
capabilities of the nation's military and police, remains fragile. They said
Al Qaida and Iranian-sponsored Shi'ite militias were still operating and
could be
planning an offensive in 2009.
"Right now things are going okay," U.S. military commander Gen. Ray
Odierno said on Dec. 23. "But until some of these internal tensions can be
resolved politically, and so long as there is Al Qaida and Shia extremists
out there who try to exploit political fissures, there's still a potential
for increased violence."
