Police forces nab al-Qaeda commander in Diala

DIALA/IraqiNews.com: Iraqi police forces on Sunday arrested a commander of al-Qaeda in Iraq involved in killing and abduction operations in Diala. A security source said. “A unit from Diala Emergency Police conducted a military operation in al-Mijadad village, capturing Amir Hatem Jamil commander of al-Qaeda in Iraq,” a Diala security source told IraqiNews.com. The source noted the detainee “was involved in killing a tribal chieftain of al-Anbakiya tribe and in abducting the deputy police chief of al-Salam district”. Four al-Qaeda members, including an amir (leader), were arrested on Sunday during a security operation in al-Salam district, north Baaquba. 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. 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. AM(S) 1