BAGHDAD, Feb 25: A US general whose division is to take responsibility for security in Baghdad from other American forces said on Friday there was still no deadline for US troops to hand authority to their Iraqi counterparts.

Transferring control to Iraqi security forces, a mantra for US officials and military leaders since the 2003 invasion to oust Saddam Hussein, would be "event-driven," said Maj-Gen William Webster.

But Webster and Maj-Gen Peter Chiarelli, head of Task Force Baghdad and commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, insisted there was great progress in the readiness of the Iraqi army.

"The proof is the job they did in the elections," said Chiarelli at a joint press conference with Webster, who vowed to continue the training of Iraqi soldiers begun by his predecessor.

The Jan 30 elections, the first free vote here in half a century which confirmed the rise to power of Iraq's long-oppressed Shia majority, were policed by Iraqi security forces backed by some 150,000 US troops and did not see the carnage many had predicted.

But killing has continued, with the Iraqi security forces being a particular target. On Thursday, at least 23 people were died violently. They included 10 policemen, with 35 others wounded, in one suicide attack. The US military and officials have been saying since the invasion that the key to pulling out US troops is to hand over security to the Iraqis. But the process has taken far longer than envisaged. Iraqi security forces have suffered from infiltration and intimidation by insurgents, and in some instances have either refused to fight rebels or have fled.

The two generals pointed out that a US-trained Iraqi army brigade this week took over authority for one of Baghdad's most dangerous areas, parts of Haifa Street, an insurgency-controlled artery seen as the most dangerous in the city. -AFP