U.S.-Led Forces to Hand Baghdad Airport to Iraqis

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040616/wl_nm/iraq_airport_dc&cid=574&ncid=1480


The U.S. military hopes to stop using the heavily guarded airport by mid-August, leaving it in the hands of the Iraqi Transport Ministry, which will bring in a private contractor and a new Iraqi airport police force to handle security.


"Incrementally, (the Transport Ministry) will take over all of the security for the airport," a foreign adviser to the ministry told reporters. "There's going to be a combination of private contractors working in conjunction with the Iraqi Airport Police and the Iraqi military."


Baghdad airport has been the main U.S. military base in Iraq (news - web sites) since last year's invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein (news - web sites). The U.S. military will continue to use Camp Victory, a sophisticated base it has built on the edge of the 35 square mile airport, officials said.


Military aircraft will continue to use the airport but only to support the future U.S. embassy, not to support troops, said a senior coalition military operations official.

the road between the airport and Baghdad is pretty much useless with daily convoy attacks.