Iraqi Kurdistan and the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq have signed an agreement handing over security responsibility to the Kurdish government in the provinces of Dohuk, Irbil and Suleimaniya.

Below is an article published by Middle East Newsline:

BAGHDAD [Middle East Newsline] -- The autonomous northern Iraqi region of Kurdistan has signed a security cooperation accord with the U.S.-led coalition.

The accord was signed on May 30 by Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani and U.S. commanders in Irbil. The accord stipulated the handover of coalition security responsibility to the Kurdish regional government in the provinces of Dohuk, Irbil and Suleimaniya.

"The Kurdistan Regional Government was deemed ready to assume security responsibility in the region," a U.S. military statement said.

Officials said the memorandum of understanding took more than a year to draft. They said the more than 30-page agreement outlines the relationship between Kurdish security forces and the U.S.-led coalition.