Baghdad - British troops in Iraq handed over the responsibility of Basra International airport to Iraqi authorities a day after the end of the UN Security Council mandate, local media reported on Thursday.

Iraqis will be in control of the civilian side of the airport while British troops will be in control of military facilities, Major Bill Young told the Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency.

Some 4,100 British troops are stationed in Iraq, the second largest number after US troops.

Britain, the US' main ally in its Iraqi invasion in 2003, is to withdraw all its troops from the country by mid-2009. (dpa)