Seven Iraqi police officers were killed when their vehicle was hit by a powerful roadside bomb south of Baghdad overnight, police said on Wednesday. According to Reuters, police said the ambush took place east of the city of Diwaniya, 180 km south of Baghdad, just after midnight.
The policemen had been rushing to reinforce a police station in the town of Ifach that was under attack by gunmen.
Meanwhile, commanders in Iraq have decided to start the drawdown of American forces in Diyala province, marking a turning point in the U.S. military mission, The Associated Press reported. Instead of replacing the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, which is returning to its home base at Fort Hood, Texas, in December, troops from another brigade in Salahuddin province next door will expand into Diyala, thereby broadening its area of responsibility, several officials said Tuesday.
In this way, the number of Army ground combat brigades in Iraq will go down from 20 to 19. The idea is to avoid vacating a contested area, like Diyala, which is northeast of Baghdad.
