Diala operations issue 3886 arrest warrants

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: The Bashaer al-Kheir (Promise of Good) military operation has issued 3886 arrest warrants against more than 4000 persons, including officials within its second stage launched since mid October, the official of the security committee in Diala said on Thursday. “The forces managed to arrest 400 people within the second stage of the operation that launched in mid October,” Saji Qadouri told IraqiNews.com. “The forces also released 200 persons and issued arrest warrants against 3886 wanted men, including officials and officers,” he added. Iraqi forces have been conducting a large-scale security operation codenamed Bashaer al-Kheir (Promise of Good) in Diala since July 2008. 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. SH (S) 1