US and Iraqi forces go to town on Diyala

Clean sweep.

Thousands of Iraqi forces, backed by small US military teams, launched a dawn offensive today across one of Iraq’s most dangerous provinces in the latest attempt to defeat resilient pockets of al-Qaeda fighters.

Gangs of Shia insurgents are also a target of the Diyala operation, which was pre-empted by joint US-Iraqi pushes through lawless terrain to the southeast of the province that began last Friday.

The attack began with raids in Baquba, Al-Qaeda in Iraq's once self-styled Islamic caliphate and the origin of the recent rash of female suicide bombers. And what do you know? Diyala is right up there on the Iranian border...all the better to see you, Mr. Ahmadinejad.