A Problem Province

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT ^ | 1/7/07 | Anna Mulrine

[TexKat]

BAQUBAH, IRAQ-U.S. military officials here have little trouble knowing when al Qaeda is exerting its influence in this city that was, once upon a time, the lush, orange-growing capital of the Mideast. Sometimes it's the subtle signs: Tomatoes and cucumbers start disappearing from the market, deemed too sexually suggestive, soldiers here say, by the Sunni fundamentalist terrorists. On other occasions, it's more overt: "Graffiti that says, 'Long live al Qaeda,' and stupid stuff like that," explains a U.S. military officer based here in what is now the capital of Diyala province. Mostly, though, the pressure has been bold and deadly: the heads of rival Shiites, stuffed in fruit crates, and phone calls designed to intimidate schoolteachers from teaching or tellers from opening banks.

For this, there has been retaliation. Shiite militias have been called into Baqubah at the behest of beleaguered Shiites, often arriving from strongholds such as Baghdad's Sadr City to provide protection against a Sunni insurgency that has driven thousands of Shiite families from their homes. "The Shiites get pushed around by Sunnis, and JAM shows up," says the officer. JAM, or Jaish al-Mahdi, is also known as the Mahdi Army militia, which is loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr, a fiery Shiite cleric from Sadr City-and his gunmen arrive well supplied.

U.S. military officials here say the geography of Diyala is what the Fulda Gap was to West Germany: a perfect avenue for infiltration. The province shares a porous 170-mile-long border with Shiite-led Iran-a border that allows trafficked arms from the country to flow through Diyala and, often, down into Baghdad.

Today, more than six months after the U.S. military killed al Qaeda strongman Abu Musab Zarqawi in a dense palm grove outside Baqubah-and turned security responsibilities over to the Iraqi Army-Diyala is second only to Baghdad in per capita crime and kidnappings. Once known as the nation's melting pot, a "little Iraq" with a mix of Sunnis and Shiites, Diyala today lies on a violent fault line where residents tend to agree on just one thing: It is land worth fighting for. The area sits on a tributary of the Tigris and boasts dates and pomegranates, untapped oil fields, and a plentiful water supply.

Sunnis make up the majority of the population of Diyala-55 percent compared with 30 percent Shiites. Yet in a province of 1.5 million that was once a popular retirement spot for many former Sunni Baathists, Shiites compose the majority of seated politicians-this, thanks to a Sunni boycott of elections two years ago. For similar reasons, security forces also are majority Shiite.

[TexKat]

[TexKat]

A Problem Province ping!

[Jaysun]

The Garden of Eden.

[Peach]

U.S. military officials here have little trouble knowing when al Qaeda is exerting its influence in this city that was, once upon a time, the lush, orange-growing capital of the Mideast. Sometimes it's the subtle signs: Tomatoes and cucumbers start disappearing from the market, deemed too sexually suggestive, soldiers here say, by the Sunni fundamentalist terrorists.

Coming to a city near all of us in the next 10 years if we don't tell these people to assimilate or go back to their own backward countries.

[Marine_Uncle]

It is hard to make claim to what particular city/town in what province is the worst. All the cities shown in your map all have the potential of claiming to be the worst. Al Mahmudiya which is seen 12K south of Baghdad on the map and it's two close associated towns, Latifiya and Yousefiya have perhaps more total count of head choppers caught/killed since 2004 then any other area. I often refer to it as the triangle of death according to what our military named it in 2004.
One things for certain, there are perhaps a hundred thousand and upward bloody killers roaming around central Iraq that will not give up until we put them in the grave.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks TK for the topic and ping.

...the pressure has been bold and deadly: the heads of rival Shiites, stuffed in fruit crates, and phone calls designed to intimidate schoolteachers from teaching or tellers from opening banks... Shiite militias have been called into Baqubah at the behest of beleaguered Shiites, often arriving from strongholds such as Baghdad's Sadr City to provide protection against a Sunni insurgency that has driven thousands of Shiite families from their homes... Sunnis make up the majority of the population of Diyala-55 percent compared with 30 percent Shiites. Yet in a province of 1.5 million that was once a popular retirement spot for many former Sunni Baathists, Shiites compose the majority of seated politicians-this, thanks to a Sunni boycott of elections two years ago. For similar reasons, security forces also are majority Shiite.