Friday, July 18, 2008 Free Headline Alerts
BAGHDAD — Iraq and the United States have joined in an effort to kill the Al Qaida network command.
Iraqi and U.S. troops have been sent to the Diyala province north of Baghdad in what officials said would target the Al Qaida command. They said Al Qaida network chief Abu Ayoub Al Masri and his mostly foreign deputies were believed to be holed up in a village in the province.
"We know where they are and are intent to destroy them," an Iraqi security source said.
The Interior Ministry said the Iraq Army and security forces were preparing for the operation against the so-called Al Qaida in Mesopotamia. The ministry said the operation would be massive and indefinite amid an assessment that most of the Al Qaida network relocated to Diyala.
Officials said the Iraq Army would contribute about two brigades, or nearly 7,000 troops for the operation. They said the United States would provide air coverage, intelligence and logistics support to eradicate a key Al Qaida stronghold in Iraq.
"It's going to be a tough fight," Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf said.
The operation was being prepared in wake of one of the bloodiest attacks on Iraqi security forces since 2006. On July 15, at least 32 Iraqi police cadets were killed in a double suicide bombing base outside the Diyala capital of Baqubah. Al Qaida uses suicide bombers from North Africa and Gulf Cooperation Council states.
Officials said the Iraqi and U.S. militaries have assessed that the death of Al Masri could result in the collapse of Al Qaida. They said Al Masri would be difficult to replace as most of his top aides were killed over the last year.
This was not the first operation in Diyala to destroy the Al Qaida leadership. In June 2007, Operation Penetrating Arrow was conducted by the Iraqi and U.S. militaries, but failed to eliminate the Al Qaida command.
Al Qaida, despite the death and capture of nearly 100 Islamic insurgents, has also maintained a significant presence in the Nineveh province. On July 15, at least 12 Iraqis were killed in two bombings in Mosul, the capital of Nineveh.
Still, officials said Al Qaida's capabilities have been eroded in 2008. They said Al Qaida bombs have become significantly smaller amid the frequent seizure of weapons and explosives caches by Iraqi and U.S. forces.
On Wednesday, the U.S.-led coalition transferred security responsibility for the Shi'ite province of Diwaniya to the Baghdad government. Diwaniya became the 10th of 18 provinces that was reverted to Iraqi control. Officials said the government plans to assume control for the entire country by early 2009.
"We aspire to reach to the 18th province before the end of this year,' Iraqi National Security Adviser Muwafaq Al Rubaie said.