Iraqi forces track down al-Qaeda gunmen in al-Furat al-Awsat provinces

BABEL / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi security forces started a security operation to hunt down al-Qaeda gunmen in al-Furat al-Awsat provinces, an army source said on Monday. “ The forces started a military operation to hunt down al-Qaeda gunmen in al-Furat al-Awsat provinces,” the commander of the 8th division of the Iraqi army, General Othman al-Ghanemi, said at a press conference in Hilla. “ According to intelligence information, the gunmen are trying to use the political vacuum in these provinces to flare up sectarian riot and implement armed attacks,” he explained, noting that so far 7 wanted men have been arrested in al-Askandariya, north of Hilla, 14 in Karbala and 4 in Diwaniya. “ The operation is still underway,” he also said. Al-Furat al-Awsat, a geographical area in southern and central Iraq at the Euphrates River Basin, encompasses the provinces of Najaf, Karbala, Diwaniya and Babel and sometimes al-Muthanna. SH (P)/SR 1