Iraq’s security might have improved over the recent months due to a surge in US troops in the troubled areas and the strength that Iraqis have shown to stand firm in the face of Al-Qaeda-led extremist terrorism. But is it the true reality? Well, violence is low, but sectarian killings are still widespread across the country as the discovery of torture chambers by US forces reveals.
Despite the reconciliation process, the whole country is heavily divided on ethnic terms and to make matters worse, the threat of Al-Qaeda always looms large. The Al-Qaeda’s torture chambers were discovery in the Diyal province, north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
The province, which borders Iran, is a safe haven for the Sunni Islamic radical group. Due to the security improvement of Baghdad, many insurgent have fled to Diyala, which Al-Qaeda considers to be the Caliphate capital.
According to American military sources, the US and Iraqi security forces find this area difficult to tackle for the simple reason, insurgents hide in neighbouring Iran and could easily crossover to Diyala. The neighbouring provinces of Nineveh, Salaheddin and Tameem are hot beds of Sunni, Shia and Baathist extremism.
One thing that has not helped in improving the situation in Diyala is the fact that Sunnis feel extremely deprived by the political importance provided to the majority Shias by the Shia-led government of Nouri-Al-Maliki and so, ordinary people from the minority sect are vulnerable to Al-Qaeda exploitation.
Furthermore, with Diyala being the base of high-profile Al-Qaeda leaders, the province is proving to be extremely difficult to tackle. Revenge attacks are regular with both Shia and Sunni death squads scouting the region to hunt down respective enemies.
Source Link: FOX News
