"They took the first step in reconciliation by turning themselves in and
signing a reconciliation pledge," the military said.
The surrender of the women has not prevented Al Qaida suicide strikes in
Iraq. On Dec. 1, at least 32 people were killed in a series of bombings in
Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul. One of the targets was a police
academy in the Iraqi capital.
In 2008, Al Qaida, conducting more than 25 operations, increased its use
of women for suicide attacks. Most of the women were assigned to blow up
themselves and their targets in the Diyala province north of Baghdad.
For several months, officials said, the U.S. military and Iraqi
government had sought to negotiate the surrender of Al Qaida women
operatives. In August 2008, an Iraqi teenager laden with explosives
surrendered to police before she reached her target in Diyala.
The government has established a program to allow insurgents to
surrender and become eligible for full pardon. The program, termed
"Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration," was said to have had mixed
results in Sunni insurgency strongholds such as the provinces of Diyala and
Nineveh.
