BAGHDAD, May 1 (Xinhuanet) -- The newly formed Iraqi force patrolling Fallujah will provide security for the first US Marines convoy to pass the volatile city in the coming few days, a US commander said Saturday.

    "In a few days we will have our first convoy go through the centre of Fallujah," said General James Conway, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

    The US commander said that he expect the new leader of Fallujah Protective Army (FPA), Major General Jassem Mohammed Saleh, to provide security for the convoy.

    US Marines started withdrawing from their positions in several parts of the besieged city, 50 km west of Baghdad, early on Friday.

    The US military stressed that the Marines were not "withdrawing" but were "repositioning" their forces, despite soldiers packing away barbed wire defences and rolling back from a base within the city. Enditem