Baghdad - Authorities in Iraq's Shiite Diwaniyah province geared up Monday for a takeover of security responsibilities from US troops, making it the 10th Iraqi province to be handed over by US-led coalition forces.

A curfew was imposed on Sunday and thousands of Iraqi security forces were deployed throughout the province ahead of the handover ceremony.

Coalition forces have so far handed control to local authorities in nine out of Iraq's 18 provinces, including six Shiite-dominated provinces in south and central Iraq and three in the northern Kurdish Autonomous Region.

Diwaniyah has been the scene of fierce fighting between rival Shiite militias, especially militants from Mahdi Army of anti-US radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and loyalists of Badr Organization of pro-US Shiite leader Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim.

Al-Hakim is also a main partner in Iraq's ruling coalition government.

A major offensive was launched by Iraqi government and US troops in Diwaniyah last November to crack down on militias.

The US military was planning to transfer security responsibilities to the local government in the Sunni province of Anbar on Saturday.

But the Americans delayed the handover, citing forecasts of bad weather, which would prevent Iraqi and US officials from flying to the event. (dpa)