Foundation stone laid for Diala road

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: A foundation stone was laid for a road linking Baaquba to al-Khales district at a cost of nearly 2 billion Iraqi dinars. “The two-way road stretches for about 11 km between al-Quds intersection in Baaquba district and al-Mostafa Square in al-Khales district,” a member of the roads and bridges department in Diala, Mohammed Mahdi, told IraqiNews.com news agency. The estimated completion period of the project is nine months, he added. (1 U.S. dollar= 1,118 Iraqi dinars) 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). SS (P) 1