Iraq army heads for showdown over stubborn insurgent hot spot

BAGHDAD — Iraqi army troops headed Wednesday into Diyala, one of Iraq's last remaining restive provinces, in preparation for the next major government offensive, as Iraqi president Jalal Talabani vetoed a long-awaited elections bill, casting into doubt provincial elections widely viewed as critical for national reconciliation.

Troops are deploying in Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, for a military operation against al-Qaida in Iraq and other insurgent groups, Iraqi Gen. Abdulkarim Rubylee said Wednesday.

Similar operations over the past months in Basra, Sadr City in Baghdad and Amara restored much of the country to government control. Diyala remains one of the most dangerous regions in Iraq.

"This is to get rid of what remains of al-Qaida and the insurgents," said Rubylee, commander of army operations. He didn't specify the number or location of troops for security reasons, but a reporter in Diyala saw Iraqi troops setting up tents in towns to the south, north and east of Baqouba, the provincial capital. Coalition forces are deploying as well to provide support.

Some members of the Sunni Awakening, tribesmen paid by the United States to fight al-Qaida in Iraq, are fleeing. "They think the security plan will target them after the insurgents," said Mulla Sh'hab Alsafi, leader of one local Awakening group.

Diyala, home to Kurds, Arab Sunni and Shiites, is one of the most ethnically and religiously mixed provinces in Iraq.

Rich in agriculture, it's likely to be hotly contested in the upcoming provincial elections, along with the northern provinces of Ninevah, Salahuddin and Kirkuk.

Those elections, which had been scheduled for October, could return control of some of the northern provinces to Sunni Arabs, who boycotted the last round, held in 2005.

But the October date was thrown into doubt after Kurdish lawmakers walked out of the Iraqi parliament Tuesday. At issue was power sharing in Kurdish-dominated Kirkuk, which sits on some of the largest oil fields in the country. The bill passed in their absence would reduce Kurdish representation on the provincial council and transfer security authority for the region from the Kurdish troops already there to Iraqi Army troops from outside the region.

Kurdish leaders condemned the bill as unconstitutional and claimed voting irregularities.

On Wednesday, President Talabani, a Kurd, vetoed it, saying the bill was "against the principle of national accord," according to a statement released by his office.