Bahrain today became the first GCC country to take charge of coalition forces operating in the central and southern Gulf.

The kingdom''s navy took over command of the Combined Task Force 152 that combats terrorism, piracy and drug trafficking in Gulf waters from US naval officers.

Control of the command rotates between coalition partners and usually lasts for around four to six months.

US Navy Vice Admiral Kevin J Cosgriff, Royal Bahraini Navy Brigadier General Abdullah Saeed al-Mansoori and UN Navy Rear Admiral Bill Gortney attended the ceremony held at the Royal Bahraini Naval Headquarters in Mina Salman.

CTF 152 has conducted maritime security operations in the area and has also assisted coalition forces with Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. However, Bahrain is not expected to play any role in those missions.

Bahrain is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.