US military hands over command to the Iraqi government

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s government took over formal control of the Iraqi army on Thursday, Sept. 7, signaling the eventual withdrawal of some 150,000 foreign troops. Maliki hopes Iraqi forces will exert control over most of the country by the end of the year.
“Today is another important milestone, but we still have a way to go,” US commander Gen. George Casey said after handing over control of the 8th Iraqi division, leaving nine other divisions to be transferred to Iraqi control.
Earlier Thursday, two suicide car bombers killed 13 people and wounded 27 in Baghdad. A suicide car bomber killed 10 people and wounded 17 at a gas station used by police vehicles in eastern Baghdad. The victims were police and civilians caught in a nearby traffic jam. The second bomber killed three people when his car exploded near a police patrol in central Baghdad.
Late Wednesday, the government said it had executed 27 men convicted of murder and rape. The sentences were carried out in Baghdad.