US Hands Back Security of Anbar Province On Monday, US commanders formally returned responsibility for keeping order in Anbar Province, once the heartland of the Sunni insurgency, to the Iraqi Army and police. The ceremony, including a parade on a freshly paved street, capped one of the most significant turnabouts in the country since the war began five and a half years ago. Over the past two years, the number of insurgent attacks against Iraqis and Americans has dropped by more than 90 percent.