Preparing successful future for Diyala Province

Photo By Master Sgt. Opal Vaughn | A team of Iraqi soldiers, with the 5th Iraqi Army Division, clear homes and patrol villages in the Eastern Diyala province of Iraq, in support of Operation Sabre Pursuit, July 25, 2008. The operation is a combined effort to rid the area of insurgent groups and deny a safe haven for further attacks on the Iraqi people.  

DIYALA PROVINCE, IRAQ

07.31.2008

Story by Staff Sgt. Mary Rose Mittlesteadt 

11th Public Affairs Detachment

By Staff Sgt. Mary Rose Mittlesteadt
11th Public Affairs Detachment

DIYALA PROVINCE, Iraq - Both Iraqi and American troops across the Eastern Diyala province of Iraq leaped into operations to rid the area, known to be a safe haven for al-Qaida and other militant individuals.

Operation Saber Pursuit, which began, July 25, South of Balad Ruz, Iraq, approximately 35 kilometers from the Iran border, has kept troops fully engaged in clearing villages, finding caches, defusing improvised explosive devices and working with the few villagers who have not left due to the insurgency and then the drought on the farmland in the region.

Balad Ruz is a rural area with approximately 100,000 residents. Many farms span the vast area and crops make up much of the livelihood in the small outlying villages.

According to Lt. Col Paul T. Calvert, commander of the U.S. ground troops in the Eastern Diyala province and 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, the operation -- which was announced by the government of Iraq days prior to the actual start of the operation -- will open new avenues for successful security and economic growth for the agricultural rich area.

Operation Sabre Pursuit follows other joint operations designed to clear al-Qaida from its rural strongholds.

On, May 1, Iraqi security forces with coalition support launched Operation Sabre Tempest. This earlier operation began just hours after a female suicide bomber faking a pregnancy walked into a crowded market causing massive destruction and was quickly followed by another suicide bomber followed after relieve to the dead and injured arrived; 35 Iraqi civilians, including many women and children were killed and 65 more wounded.

For the past three months U.S. Soldiers, Iraqi army troops, and Iraqi police from the area have cleared and then held villages formerly tyrannized by al-Qaida cells.

The same type of tactics learned in Operation Sabre Tempest, which have held violence and insurgent infiltration to a minimum are being used on the current mission in South Balad Ruz, Maj. Cameron Cantlon, the executive officer in charge of ground forces in Eastern Diyala Province, said about the correlation between the two areas and its military operations.

Operation Sabre Pursuit has scored multiple caches and intelligence finds and has continued to rid known insurgency out of the area of concern, Cantlon said.

Both Operation Sabre Tempest and Operation Sabre Pursuit have been conducted hand-in-hand with 5th Iraqi Army Division and the local Balad Ruz Iraqi police force. The Iraq units and 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment troops have worked together throughout the past months, conducting two joint air assault missions and numerous ground missions and joint patrols.

"Through months of combined operations, we have forged a strong partnership with the Iraqi security forces," Cantlon said. "Our Iraqi brothers fight honorably and have proven they are truly a capable fighting force able to secure their country and the values of their people."

• Date Taken: 07.31.2008
• Date Posted: 07.31.2008 17:03
• Story ID: 22015
• Location: DIYALA PROVINCE, IQ