4 Qaeda members nabbed in Diala

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: Four members of al-Qaeda network were arrested with ammunition in their possession during two separate security operations in Diala province, a police source said. “Police forces arrested four al-Qaeda members in Baaquba’s western neighborhood of al-Qatoon,” Maj. Ghaleb al-Karkhi told IraqiNews.com. “Amounts of ammunition were seized in Habhab, Khales district (15 km north of Baaquba),” Maj. Karkhi noted, explaining that they included 17 mortar shells, 5 rockets and a number of detonators. 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) 1