By Prensa Latina
London : The British transfer of control of Basrah province to Baghdad authorities took place amidst deaths of thousands of Iraqi civilians and 174 British, recalled the daily Observer.
The formal transfer of functions took place after four years, nine months and 11 days of British military occupation and billions of dollars in expenses, added the daily.
It is the continuation of a process begun last September, when the British soldiers abandoned their positions at Basrah palace and will continue downsizing the London forces from 4700 to 2500 soldiers, next spring.
For the Observer, since the entrance of British soldiers in Basrah on April 2003, the city and the province that carries this name have experienced a slow, bloody and marked decline.
No one can deny that Basrah is full of violence, concluded the newspaper.