Qaeda leader nabbed in Diala

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: An al-Qaeda-in-Iraq leader was arrested during a security operation in Diala’s Baaquba city, a local police chief said on Sunday. “Today, police forces conducted a military operation in Nahr al-Hijiya area, downtown Baaquba city, during which an al-Qaeda network amir (leader), called Abbas Janiya, was captured,” Staff Brig. Abdelhusssein Ali told IraqiNews.com. “Janiya is responsible for recruiting suicide bombers in the city,” Ali noted. 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