Iraqi army on offense

Reuters/Scotsman:

Iraqi army forces killed 40 militants during operations in three northern Iraqi provinces in the last 24 hours, a Defence Ministry statement said on Sunday.

It said the operations took place in the volatile provinces of Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk. Another eight people were arrested in those provinces, the statement said.

...

The statement said the army had also managed to defuse three bombs in those provinces. Across Iraq, the army killed a total of 44 militants in the last 24 hours, and arrested 52 suspects, the statement said.

This is encouraging news for Iraqis who are eager to see their army step up and be effective in independent operations. Defusing the bombs also suggest they are getting ahead of the curve on the IED war. Diyala and the other provinces is where the remnants of al Qaeda is located.

American combat aircraft killed another 20 al Qaeda troops north of Baghdad.

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