The British military will transfer security control of the southern province of Basra to Iraqi forces on Sunday.
Iraq's government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh made the announcement this afternoon, confirming that the handover will take place on 16 December.
The move will end Britain's security responsibility of the four southern provinces it once controlled, including Maysan, which was handed back in April.
Meanwhile, at least 39 people have been killed and 151 woulded in a triple bomb attack in the nearby city of Amara.
Three car bombs had exploded within minutes of each other in the city, where British forces handed responsibility for security to Iraqi forces earlier this year.
The bombings came as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said at an economic conference in the nearby city of Basra that Iraq was progressing 'step by step' in achieving total security across the country.
Most people were killed in the second and third blasts. Onlookers had gathered at the scene of the first bomb when the subsequent car bombs exploded.
The Iraqi government issued a statement condemning the bombings, describing them as a desperate attempt to draw attention away from what it said were recent security gains across Iraq.
