Free Republic

Sunni insurgents battling forces loyal to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki broke into a military base in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad on Thursday, a security source and a local official said. They said militants fought their way into the base on the edge of Muqdadiya town, 80 km (50 miles) northeast of the capital. The northern side of the town was already under their control before Thursday's clashes. The area around Muqdadiya has seen sustained fighting in recent weeks since fighters led by the hardline Islamic State, an offshoot of al Qaeda, seized the northern city of Mosul and...

MUQDADIYA — Approximately 70 tribal leaders, representing 25 tribes from areas throughout the northern Diyala RiverValley, met at an Iraqi Army base in Muqdadiya to discuss the way ahead and the need to unite in the fight against terrorism, Oct. 8. "The solution to security in Diyala is reconciliation," said Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of Coalition forces in Diyala province. The meeting was organized by the Director General of Tribal Affairs; the Muqdadiya mayor, Mayor Najem Abdullah Ahmed, the leader of the Iraqi Islamic Party in Diyala, Hamdi Hassoun al-Zubaidi, and a key tribal leader in Muqdadiya, Ali Hamid...

TIKRIT — Twenty-four suspected insurgents were detained and one cache was discovered in the Molameen and Baloor neighborhoods near Muqdadiya, Iraq, during a joint Iraqi army and coalition operation Tuesday. Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 5th Iraqi army, led the operation and were supported by Soldiers from 6-9 Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. The goal of the mission was to clear the area of insurgents and to provide a safe and secure environment for the people throughout the Muqdadiya Qadah. “This mission was another example of how the IA is becoming a legitimate, credible force,”...