"Overall, Diyala has seen a 70 percent reduction in violence over the
past year," Lehr told a briefing on May 23.
Commanders said Al Qaida's hold over Diyala was broken through 10
large-scale offensives that targeted the Al Qaida leadership and
infrastructure in 2007 and 2008. They said more than 1,700 Al Qaida fighters
were detained, and 500 insurgents were killed.
Lehr said Iraqi and U.S. military units killed or detained 220
"high-value individuals" in Diyala. The U.S. commander said the operations,
based on increasing intelligence as well as the formation of the Sons of
Iraq auxiliary police, led to the destruction of Al Qaida havens and weapons
caches.
In all, more than 550 weapons caches were discovered and confiscated,
Lehr said. He said 25,000 miles of road were cleared, and more than
2,100 roadside bombs were found and destroyed.
Lehr said Sons of Iraq was a major facilitator in the offensive against
Al Qaida in Diyala. He said Sons of Iraq drove Al Qaida from its
sanctuaries, released Iraqi soldiers for combat duty and provided employment
for young Iraqis.
"The premise of the program is to contract local Iraqi males to provide
security for their villages and neighborhoods as augmentation to security
forces," Lehr said. "Overall, the Sons of Iraq played an integral role in
the improved security situation in Baghdad and Diyala province and increased
the economic activities."
In 2008, Al Qaida was said to have fled Diyala and established a
network in the northern city of Mosul, the capital of the Nineveh province.
In May, Iraqi and U.S. forces conducted a major offensive against the Al
Qaida presence in and around Mosul.
Lehr said the Iraq Army has taken the lead in operations in Diyala. He
said the U.S.-trained Iraqi police, with 17,300 officers in Diyala, was
growing by 500 per month.
"Our redeployment from Iraq is part of a planned surge strategy in the
campaign plan that maps out eventual conduct of independent Iraqi security
force operations," Lehr said. "The 5th Iraqi Army Division is capable of
conducting unilateral operations with little assistance. Due to their
success, we have moved into a tactical over-watch mode of operation, where
we follow the Iraqi army and support as needed."
