3 Qaeda operatives nabbed in Diala

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: Three members of al-Qaeda network were captured during a security operation in downtown Baaquba city, an emergency police commander said on Sunday. “Today, Diala’s emergency police forces arrested three al-Qaeda members during an operation targeting al-Katoun neighborhood and Umm al-Izam in downtown Baaquba,” Tareq Radi told IraqiNews.com. Three explosive belts, five hand grenades, 13 mortar shells and dozens of inflammatory books were seized during the operation, Radi pointed out. Takfir (To judge someone to be a kafir or infidel) CDs featuring Sheikh Ali Bin Khidr al-Khudeir, a prominent Qaeda leader, as well as unofficial marriage contracts, were also found. Diala province, a mix of Sunnis and Shiites, extends to the northeast of Baghdad as far as the Iranian border. Its capital is Baaquba, 57 km northeast of Baghdad. It covers an area of 17,685 square kilometers (6,828 sq mi). A large portion of the province is drained by the Diala River, a major tributary of the Tigris. Because of its proximity to two major sources of water, Diala’s main industry is agriculture, primarily dates grown in large Date Palm groves. It is also recognized as the orange capital of the Middle East. In January 2008 Operation Phantom Phoenix was launched in an attempt to eradicate the remnants of al-Qaeda network following the Diala province campaign between 2006 and 2007. SS (S)/SR 1