Summary
Some 40 per cent are Sunnis, perhaps 35 per cent Shia, and 20 per cent Kurds. 'We believe that Diyala mirrors Iraq, ' says Colonel Risberg, a US battalion commander. 'If Diyala can succeed, then Iraq can succeed.' This time last year Baquba, the provincial capital of Diyala, was practically a lawless town. 'Last year the insurgents owned the night in the city, ' says Risberg. 'There were fears it was going down the route of Fallujah.' According to intelligence reports...
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Bring Back the Baathists
The insurgents must have been watching their target for weeks: when they struck their timing was immaculate. The Iraqi army checkpoint at Mufrek Circle, north of Baquba in eastern Iraq, was well enough manned. But the soldiers were taken completely by surprise. Most were asleep and their platoon commander was mysteriously absent from his post. This slackness would cause recriminations later.
The attackers struck first with machineguns and grenades, killing several soldiers.Reinforcements stormed out from the nearby barracks. The insurgents had anticipated this.A car bomber was on alert and waited as the Iraqi army soldiers sped up the road in vulnerable soft-skinned vehicles. He detonated as they ranged alongside.Nine soldiers and three bystanders were slaughtered. One month earlier soldiers from the same battalion -- commanded by Colonel Abdullah -- had suffered an even more devastating assault. A suicide bomber infiltrated the catering hall, killing 25 Iraqi soldiers and wounding or maiming ...See the full content of this document
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