U.N. says Iraq deadlier, Italians pull out

[stu]

Italian forces ended their mission in Iraq on Thursday, handing over the southern province they patrol to Iraqis, while the United Nations said the country has become deadlier than ever.

 

The force of 1,600 Italians will all be home within eight weeks, having turned over their base to Iraqis, British military spokesman Major Charlie Burbridge said. The Italians have been under British command in Iraq's mainly Shi'ite southern sector.

 

"The Italians have been very successful here. The key to their success has been developing a good working relationship with the local governor and Iraqi authorities, making it possible to turn over security responsibility to Iraqi forces," Burbridge said.

 

The province also includes a giant U.S. air base which will not be turned over, near ruins of the ancient city of Ur. A task force of 450 Australians will stay on that base as a rapid reaction team in case of a security emergency in the province.

 

Dhi Qar is the second of Iraq's 15 non-Kurdish provinces to be turned over to Iraqi forces after the Japanese pulled out of mainly desert Muthanna province, also in the south, two months ago.

 

"This is a great day in Iraq's history," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said at a ceremony in the provincial capital Nassiriya.

 

"Muthanna was first, now comes Dhi Qar to crown this victory, and other provinces will come to crown further victories until we reach our goal."

 

Britain has also pulled out of its main base in a third province, Maysan, leaving British troops in the south largely confined to Basra, Iraq's second largest city.

 

In both Maysan and Muthanna, the bases that were evacuated by the withdrawing foreign troops were promised for Iraqi forces, but were ransacked by looters within hours of the foreigners leaving.

 

The withdrawal of the Italians means the two allies that invaded Iraq in 2003, the United States and Britain, are now the only big, rich countries with large forces left in Iraq.

 

While other countries are pulling out, the United States has increased its own forces by thousands this year in an effort to stem a rapidly escalating spiral of violence. Washington is now focusing its effort on the capital Baghdad, moving forces from the rest of the country to do so.

 

TORTURED TO DEATH

 

The United Nations said in a report that 6,599 Iraqis had died violent deaths in the last two months, making the period the deadliest yet. Many of the victims were tortured to death by death squads and tortured, the report said.

 

"Bodies found at the Medico-legal Institute often bear signs of severe torture including acid-induced injuries and burns caused by chemical substances, missing skin, broken bones, missing eyes, missing teeth and wounds caused by power drills or nails," it said.

 

July was deadlier than August, which the Americans have said is a sign that their crackdown in Baghdad is working. But violence has already escalated again in September, with a surge in death squad killings in the capital and a series of bomb attacks in the north and west over the past several days.

 

The latest, a massive car bomb attack on a tribal leader in Samarra, killed 10 and wounded 39 on Wednesday, according to police. On Thursday, gunmen in four cars attacked a police station in western Baghdad, killing six.

 

U.S. commanders predict violence will get worse next week with the start of the Ramadan holy month, and they say attacks on U.S. troops have also surged in the last two weeks.

 

Followers of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said U.S. forces had arrested one of Sadr's top aides, Salah al-Obeydi, at his home in the holy city of Najaf.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060921/wl_nm/...HE0BHNlYwN0bWE-