Pat Dollard

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BAAQUBA, July 11 (VOI) – Military reinforcements arrived on Friday morning in Diala province from Baghdad to participate in the operations recently announced by the Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki to track down gunmen, said a security source.

“Scores of military vehicles carrying Iraqi troops with armored vehicles, arrived today in al-Moradiya area in Baaquba on the road linking Diala to Baghdad,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) on condition of anonymity.

“The reinforcements came to participate in the imminent military operations in Diala,” he said.
He did not mention further details.

In June 2008, the Iraqi premier Nouri al-Maliki announced “the next stage will be in Diala,” referring to a military operation similar to Saulat al-Forsan (Knights Assault) in Basra and Bashaer al-Salam (Promise of Peace) in Missan.

Baaquba, capital city of Diala province, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad.

Diala province extends to the northeast of Baghdad as far as the Iranian border. Its capital is Baaquba. It covers an area of 17,685 square kilometers (6,828 sq mi).

A large portion of the province is drained by the Diala River, a major tributary of the Tigris.

Because of its proximity to two major sources of water, Diala’s main industry is agriculture, primarily dates grown in large Date Palm groves. It is also recognized as the orange capital of the Middle East.

In January 2008 Operation Phantom Phoenix was launched in an attempt to eradicate the remnants of al-Qaeda network following the Diala province campaign between 2006 and 2007.