Iraqi policemen celebrate as they mark the U.S. withdrawal from Iraqi cities, in Ramadi, 100 km (60 miles) west of Baghdad June 29, 2009.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
What are added to Baghdad's usually tensional streets -- featured by countless checkpoints, blast walls and steel wire that fend off suicide and car bombs -- are more fully armed soldiers compounded with both U.S. and Iraqi armed vehicles.
Dusty air that coincides with the shadow of terror by a series of deadly blasts that claimed more than 200 lives in the past few days still lingers.
People are told not to take to places of crowds, for fear of being the next victims. That's why people in uniforms -- U.S. and Iraqi soldiers and police -- are largely the only visible here and there.
Fully armed Ahmad Sobhi fastened his helmet and windshield glasses while manning a machine gun on top of his pickup and scanning the dusty street.
For him, today is meaningful -- the last day he might cooperate with U.S. soldiers, after which he will patrol in Baghdad streets with his Iraqi fellows only.
Thinking for guarding his own country and serve for his compatriots without the assistance of U.S. counterparts, Sobhi seemingly felt the weight of responsibility assigned upon him.
U.S. General Daniel Bolger (1st L), commander of US forces in Baghdad, hands over a symbolic key to General Abud Qambar, commander of Baghdad Operation Command, during a hand-over ceremony in Baghdad, capital of Iraq, June 29, 2009. June 30 is the deadline for U.S. combat troops to withdraw from major cities in Iraq. (Xinhua Photo)
Another Iraqi soldier came by and said with a perceivable sign of complexity to Xinhua correspondent that U.S. soldiers will leave soon and they shall no longer see them in cities.
June 30 is the deadline for U.S. combat troops to leave Iraqi towns and cities, while August 2010 for all combat troops out from Iraq and no later than 2011 for all U.S. soldiers, as stipulated in the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) sighed at the end of last year between Washington and Baghdad.
Despite the going of U.S. soldiers, a series of deadly blasts across Iraq that have claimed more than 200 lives do not seem to shake Iraqi security forces' confidence.
Ali Ghedan, the infantry forces leader in Baghdad, told Xinhua that his forces spread from north to south, east to west, and in every spot across the country.
"We are able to conduct maneuvers from place to place, and we can reach any place terrorists might reach," he said.
Saleem Jubuli, a Sunni parliament member, cautioned the situation during his country's historical military handover, saying that he personally believed security situation would be affected, but temporarily.
U.S. General Daniel Bolger (1st L), commander of US forces in Baghdad, hands over a symbolic key to General Abud Qambar, commander of Baghdad Operation Command, during a hand-over ceremony in Baghdad, capital of Iraq, June 29, 2009. June 30 is the deadline for U.S. combat troops to withdraw from major cities in Iraq. (Xinhua Photo)
"Hopefully, we will have a stable future," he said.
"Frankly, security situation will be covered by the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, the National Security Forces, and supported by all security systems in Iraq, in order to keep all stabilities in Iraq, especially in Baghdad," Fawzi Akram, a Shiite parliament member told Xinhua.
His optimism coincides with Farzam Ahamad, a Kurdish parliament member, who said that "I am optimistic, because Iraqi security forces have reached a level that is able to control securities in Iraqi cities."
The mission of the remaining U.S. troops outside Iraqi towns and cities is shifting from combat to training and advising. They could, at Iraq's request, reenter cities for help in missions.
"Supports we need from Coalition Forces after the transfer are limited. We might need intelligence support, although our units do have some information about terrorists' movement, but we might still need such support from Coalition Forces due to their advanced technologies," said Ghedan.
When asked whether they will request U.S. soldiers to come back into cities to conduct missions, Sobhi responded instantly, "we hope we will never raise such a request."
Source: Xinhua
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