Is it a civil war yet?

Prime Minister Maliki says the Sunni violence in Baghdad is, in fact, territorial and not random.

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Wednesday that insurgents are trying to take control of western Baghdad, but he vowed they won't succeed. ....

"They have intentions to occupy Karkh (west Baghdad) but be sure that Iraqi forces are capable of repulsing them and have started striking them," he said.

"The government cannot protect every child and every woman," al-Maliki said. "Military forces will deter anyone who tries to occupy any area."

Also: The first territorial handover is today.

Britain has handed over responsibility for security in one of Iraq's 18 provinces to local forces for the first time since the country was invaded......

The numbers involved in the handover were small - just 700 British and Australian soldiers......

Muthanna, a sparsely populated desert area with a population of little over half a million, was chosen as the first because it has been one of the quietest areas of the country.