Britain handed over security in Basra province to Iraqi forces yesterday, effectively marking the end of nearly five years of British control of southern Iraq.

?Today we stand at a historic juncture and a special day, one of the greatest days in the modern history of Basra?, provincial governor Mohammed Mosbah al-Waeli said at a ceremony at the last British base at an airport outside the city.

The British commander, Major-General Graham Binns, said Iraqi security forces had ?proved that they are capable. I came to rid Basra of its enemies but I now formally hand Basra back to its friends?, said Binns, who also led the force that captured the city from Saddam Hussein?s troops in 2003.

Responsibility for Iraq?s main oil export hub ? the last of four provinces once controlled by Britain ? will be the biggest test yet of the Baghdad government?s ability to keep the peace without troops from the United States or its main ally.

With Iraq?s second-largest city, only major port and nearly all its oil exports, Basra is more populous, wealthier and more strategically located than any of the other eight of Iraq?s 18 provinces previously placed under formal Iraqi control.

It has also often been more violent, although Iraqi forces say their 30 000 troops and police in the area can keep peace. Many Basra residents expressed optimism: ?It feels like a heavy burden has been lifted off our chests,? said a teacher.

However, others questioned whether Iraqi troops were up to the job. ?The handover is a good step, but we hope that Iraqi forces are ready?, said merchant Faisal Sharhan, 28.

Bloody turf wars

Iraq?s second city is a lively place, with restaurants open late and little of the barricaded neighborhood siege mentality found in the capital, Baghdad. The mainly Shi?ite southern province has escaped the sectarian warfare that killed tens of thousands of people in central and northern Iraq.

However, Basra has been the scene of bloody turf wars between rival Shi?ite factions, criminals and smugglers. Basra?s police accuse militants of imposing strict Islamic codes and killing women for so-called ?honor crimes?.

The factions agreed to a truce this month and killings are down. A triple car bomb attack which killed about 40 people in neighboring Maysan province last week served as a reminder, however, of the potential for violence in areas vacated by the British.

Basra province exports more than 1.5 million barrels of oil per day, providing nearly all Iraq?s government funds. Some oil is also sold outside official channels by smugglers, many believed to have links to the region?s squabbling militias.

Aref MOHAMMED