IRAQ: US marines handed responsibility for a swathe of central Iraq to a Polish-led multinational force yesterday in a ceremony that recalled the country's history and may offer a pointer to the future.
The handover, in a restored amphitheatre at the site of ancient Babylon, took place as Washington intensified efforts to get more countries involved in its mission to stamp out the violence plaguing post-war Iraq.
A US military band played, and troops from as far apart as Honduras and Hungary sat in the morning sunshine as the force of 9,000 soldiers assumed control of an area south of Baghdad stretching east as far as the Iranian border.
Keen to show they are not going it alone in Iraq, US officials stress 21 countries make up the new Multinational Division, although some are providing only a small number of troops. Poland, Ukraine and Spain are the biggest contributors.
Lieut Gen Ricardo Sanchez, the commander of the US-dominated task force in Iraq, made clear he would welcome more soldiers from other countries. He said the multinational nature of the new division already sent out a strong message.
The zone the marines took over a few weeks after the end of the war that ousted Saddam in April was relatively peaceful until last Friday, when a car bomb exploded in the city of Najaf, killing a top Shi'ite cleric and more than 80 of his followers.
Gen Sanchez has delayed handing over that part of the zone to Spanish and central American troops under the Poles' command for at least a couple of weeks as tensions are high and some of the central Americans are still waiting for equipment.
The new mission is a key moment for Poland, taking on its highest profile military mission since the second World War as it seeks to establish itself as a heavyweight in international affairs.
"We are greatly honoured to be able to help the Iraqi people," said Major Gen Andrzej Tyszkiewicz, the division's commander.
He told Iraqis, including sheikhs in traditional Arab headdress at the ceremony, that his troops would respect them.
"We do not want to impose on your way of life," he said.
"Our presence is only supposed to assist your return to normality, to a life without fear of your future."
The voice on an audio tape aired after last week's deadliest bombing in post-war Iraq was probably Saddam Hussein, a CIA official said yesterday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the CIA had completed its analysis of the tape earlier yesterday. "It is probably the voice of Saddam Hussein," the official said.
The tape said neither Saddam nor his followers were linked to Friday's attack in Najaf. But it urged more attacks on the occupiers. - (Reuters)