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WASHINGTON D.C. (June 1, 2008) - Iraq's Diyala province is now
secure and stable enough for people to return to work and for the
government and civil services to conduct business, an official
there told online journalists and bloggers last week.
"Operations in concert with the Iraqi security forces have made
the province a safer and more stable area, providing a place for
the government and civil services to conduct business and for the
Iraqi people to live and work," said Army Col. Jon Lehr, commander
of the 2nd Infantry Division's 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team,
which has occupied Diyala province for the past 14 months.
"Overall, Diyala has seen a 70 percent reduction in violence
over the past year," Lehr said.
The dramatic reduction in violence was achieved through 10
large-scale offensive operations targeting insurgent leadership and
infrastructure in the province, Lehr said. He added that Iraqi
security forces were involved in all the operations alongside
coalition forces.
Through these operations, 220 "high-value individuals" were
removed from Diyala's population, Lehr said. In addition, he said,
more than 1,700 insurgents were detained, and another 500-plus
insurgents were killed.
He said coalition and Iraqi forces also destroyed enemy safe
havens and hindered their logistical means while conducting
operations in Diyala. More than 550 weapons caches were discovered
and confiscated, 25,000 miles of roadways were cleared, and more
than 2,100 roadside bombs were found and destroyed, he said.
To maintain the security created by coalition and Iraqi security
forces, Lehr said, a concerned-citizens program, known as "Sons of
Iraq," has been established in Diyala province. "The premise of the
program is to contract local Iraqi males to provide security for
their villages and neighborhoods as augmentation to security
forces," he explained.
Lehr said the Sons of Iraq have a "three-fold" effect in the
province. First, he said, they drive al-Qaida from their
sanctuaries. Secondly, he said, they free up combat power from the
security forces. And the short-term employment of the Sons of Iraq
has helped "jump start" local economies, he said.
"Overall, the Sons of Iraq played an integral role in the
improved security situation in Baghdad and Diyala province and
increased the economic activities," Lehr said.
He said the Iraqi police also are gaining strength and
efficiency.
"We have partnered with, trained and supported 17,300 Iraqi
police in Diyala province," Lehr said. "That's 64 stations and 12
separate district headquarters."
A police academy set up by 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team
recently graduated its first class, Lehr said. The academy - now
under the Iraqi Interior Ministry - will continue to generate
trained police forces for the province, he said, graduating about
500 new police officers a month.
"They are working hard to create a better force," Lehr said, "a
force that is nonsectarian, noncorrupt."
Lehr also said 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, which is
preparing to redeploy to the United States, is in a support role
now, with the Iraqi army leading operations.
"Our redeployment from Iraq is part of a planned surge strategy
in the campaign plan that maps out eventual conduct of independent
Iraqi security force operations," Lehr explained.
"The 5th Iraqi Army Division is capable of conducting unilateral
operations with little assistance," he said. "Due to their success,
we have moved into a tactical over-watch mode of operation, where
we follow the Iraqi army and support as needed."
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