Iraqi and US forces gear up for massive operation

Baghdad: The road to Diyala province, about 57km east of Baghdad, is increasingly busy as Iraqi and US military convoys flock to the restless area in preparation of a massive "security operation" against the Al Qaida terror network, Iraqi officials told Gulf News.

"The goal of the operation, involving nearly two brigades, is the elimination of Al Qaida leaders," said Sarhan Al Abadi, an intelligence officer in the Iraqi army.

He revealed that intelligence information has confirmed that the leader of the so-called 'Al Qaida in Mesopotamia,' Abu Ayoub Al Masri, also known as Abu Hamza Al Muhajir and his key military assistants are currently in a village in Diyala.

If the planned campaign manages to eliminate those wanted men, "that would lead to the almost total collapse of this organisation and pave the way for us to declare victory over terrorism," the officer said.

But analysts say the campaign could well be just part of a psychological war against armed groups, with no significant results on the ground. They point at similar previous military operations in Diyala and Nineveh provinces.

Escape

US and Iraqi forces launched a military operation dubbed Penetrating Arrow against Al Qaida in Diyala in June 2007, but the process failed to finish off the terror group.

A recent report released by the Iraqi Ministry of Defence has said that most of Al Qaida's militants had moved to Diyala.

However, Al Qaida militants have the ability to escape the upcoming military operation in Diyala, Hussam Al Juburi, one of the leaders of the Al Juburi clan, the largest Sunni Arab tribes in that region, told Gulf News.

"They will have the ability to manoeuvre because of the rugged terrain that characterises this province, in addition to the open corridors that lead to neighbouring provinces like Salahuddin and Kirkuk."

Another critic of the Nouri Al Maliki government said the operation was part of a media campaign to show the government is winning the war against the armed groups.

There are inconsistencies in statements by Al Maliki government officials, who said the battle against Al Qaida would be decisive in Nineveh and now they repeat the same thing about Diyala , said Bashir Al Braihi, an independent security researcher told Gulf News.