Holy city of Najaf to be handed over to Iraqis
The holy city of Najaf, seat of Iraq’s most powerful Shi’ite clerics and scene of an uprising against U.S. troops after Saddam Hussein’s fall, will be officially handed over to Iraqi control on Wednesday. The province of Najaf is the third of Iraq’s 18 provinces to be transferred from the U.S.-led occupying forces to Iraqi security forces. Whether it can remain calm will be a key test for the Iraqi government and for U.S. hopes of handing over the rest of the country and withdrawing. Full Story