Operation to end sectarian violence

Baghdad: American and Iraqi troops began Operation Arrowhead Ripper, one of the biggest joint campaigns undertaken to crush Al Qaida sanctuaries in Diyala. Analysts are saying that the goal of the operation is to end sectarian violence in the country.

Diyala, northeast of the capital Baghdad, has an estimated population of 1.25 million, mostly Sunni Arabs and Kurds with a sizeable community of Shiite Arabs and Kurds who account for 35 per cent of the population.

Diyala is one of the most violence-stricken provinces in Iraq where broad sectarian clashes claim the lives of thousands of Shiite and Sunni victims and lead others to flee the governorate.

A report issued by the Department of Health in Diyala indicated that in the months of March, April and May, not less than 4,000 unidentified bodies were found in the province, out of 6,000 unknown bodies found in various Iraqi cities including the capital, Baghdad.

Another report that appeared at the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration revealed that Diyala witnessed a massive internal eviction.

More than 20,000 displaced families fled the disturbed province out of 34,000 families from other remaining Iraqi cities. Babiker Zebari, the Iraqi Army Chief of Staff, told Gulf News, "Diyala has the largest Al Qaida and like-minded radical groups' camps. Those extremists are the spearhead of violence that stretches deep into Baghdad and Kirkuk. Besides its groves are stores for weapons used against the Iraqi government."

Military goals

Operation Arrowhead Ripper in Diyala will expand to include the whole northern and southern Baghdad belt and Tharthar area close to Anbar province, a stronghold of Al Qaida and other factions linked to it.

Analysts close to the Iraqi government say that one of the military goals is to eliminate sectarian violence in the country. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki believes that halting sectarian violence in Diyala will maintain stability and security in the whole of Iraq.

Sattar Abdul Wahab, a major general in the former Iraqi army said, "Americans had information that Diyala is turning into a bastion for Al Qaida leadership, besides they might find Saddam Hussain's banned weapons." He added, "The American security strategy for Baghdad will witness a significant improvement if the American army seize victory in Diyala."