Police chief sees near defeat of AQI

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: The police chief in Diala on Monday said that this year will witness an end to al-Qaeda in Iraq and the so-called “Islamic State of Iraq.” “All the evidence indicates that all unofficial armed groups, including al-Qaeda organization and the so-called ‘Islamic State of Iraq’, will be eliminated this year after police forces have managed to purge 95 percent of Diala province of al-Qaeda’s main strongholds in the areas of al-Hadeed, al-Hashemiyyat, al-Mujaddad and al-Sayyed (15 km north of Baaquba),” Staff Maj. Gen. Abdelhussein al-Shamri told IraqiNews.com. Police have taken control of the areas of Salsal, Hanbas, al-Tayeh, al-Zour in al-Muqdadiya district (45 km northeast of Baaquba), al-Muallemeem neighborhood, al-Katoun, and al-Mafraq in Baaquba, according to the official. Baaquba, the capital city of Diala province, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad. SS (P) 1