American and Iraqi forces deployed in the Diyala province Tuesday in a new operation aimed at clearing al-Qaeda in Iraq from safe havens. New checkpoints were erected across the province and authorities ordered a ban on unofficial traffic as search operations got under way in the provincial capital of Baqouba and surrounding areas, according to witnesses. Many residents said they were afraid to leave their houses, the AP reported.
The troops were focusing on chasing al-Qaeda and other gunmen who sought refuge in Diyala to escape earlier crackdowns, said Gen. Ali Ghaidan, the commander of Iraqi ground forces in the province.Ghaidan said the operation's goal is "to clear al-Qaida in Diyala."
"We have a list of wanted persons that the troops will arrest them during the operations," Ghaidan said.
"The goal of the operation is to seek out and destroy criminal elements and terrorist threats in Diyala and eliminate smuggling corridors in the surrounding area," the U.S. military said in a statement. The military said it was an Iraqi-led operation, stressing the point as the Iraqi government seeks to assert more control over military operations.
"We applaud the Iraqis' growing ability to lead, plan and execute complex combat, policy and humanitarian operations and we look forward to reducing our support footprint as security conditions on the ground permit," the statement said.
In Baghdad, hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims gathered around a golden-domed shrine in a massive religious assembly on Tuesday, a day after three female suicide bombers struck their procession and killed 32 people. The pilgrims were streaming toward the shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim in the northern neighborhood of Kazimiyah where police set up checkpoints and searched people.
Authorities have also imposed a vehicle ban in Baghdad and deployed tens of thousands of policemen in the streets in fear of further violence during Tuesday's pilgrimage.
