Diyala Still in Turmoil After U.S. Occupation

[ProSense]

Diyala Still in Turmoil After U.S. Occupation

by Jamie Tarabay

Morning Edition, September 27, 2007 · A visit to a small village explores U.S. military claims that its occupation of Iraq's Diyala province has increased security there. Insurgent attacks continue, the local economy is suffering and the local population is increasingly anti-American.

IRAQ: Compensation for damaged property inadequate, say Diyala residents

26 Sep 2007 10:19:33 GMT

BAQUBAH, 26 September 2007 (IRIN) - Residents of Diyala Province, northeast of Baghdad and adjacent to the Iranian border, say the payments they will get from the Iraqi government are insufficient compensation for the damage caused to their property by US and Iraqi forces in recent military operations.

The ethnically mixed province , a major insurgent stronghold, saw heavy fighting in the past few weeks in which warplanes, helicopter gunships and artillery were used against Al-Qaeda insurgents in Iraq. Residents say the fighting left over 5,000 families displaced and in poverty, and damaged hundreds of houses, shops, government buildings and schools. Almost all towns and villages in the province have been affected by the military operations, they say.

"The damage is extensive and many buildings have been totally destroyed. The amount to be paid by the government is less than half the value of the properties before they were damaged," said Maruan Ziad, an economics professor at Baghdad University and a senior official at the Ministry of Construction and Housing.

<...>

ETHNIC MIX In 2004, the population of Diyala Province was estimated by Iraq's Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation and the UN Development Programme to be 1,418,455. The main ethnic groups in Diyala are Arabs, Kurds and Turkomans. The province is also home to a significant number of Faili Kurds (mainly in Khanaqin). Unlike most Kurds, who are Sunni, Faili Kurds are Shia.

Religious groups in Diyala include Sunni and Shia Muslims, Christians, Yezidis and 'Ahl Al-Haqq' (People of Truth). In the past four months Sunnis as well as Kurds have been attacked by Shia militias who, according to police sources, are taking over control of local police stations.

A September 2006 Assessment Report on Diyala by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said the situation in the province was considered highly complex and sensitive. It said: "The presence of large numbers of secondary displaced Arabs in Baqubah, Kurdish internally displaced returnees in the north, and Diyala's proximity to Iran on one side and the former 'Green Line' on the other, make for a particularly fragile security situation. The governorate has a history of ethnic mixing but has also seen periods of tension between various sectarian groups."

more

Between this story and this: Iraq insurgents (Kurds?) slam US help in Anbar, it appears that a lot of the violence being attributed to the Sunni Arab insurgency is actually being committed by Kurds and Shia.