25 bodies found in mass graves in Khalis

Khalis-Mass DIALA / IraqiNews.com: Seven mass graves containing 25 unknown bodies were found on Thursday in al-Salam district, the chief of the local police said. “The bodies were found in Albu Teama village in al-Salam district in Khalis, north of Baaquba,” Brigadier Ibrahim Salim told IraqiNews.com. “Some of the bodies were wearing civilian clothes others found with police and military uniform,” he added. 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 (P)/SR 1