Iraqis expect tough fight in Diyala

BAGHDAD, July 14 (UPI) -- The Iraqi military expects a tough fight against Shiite militias and al-Qaida fighters in a pending operation in Diyala province, officials said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in late June announced another round of military operations targeting Shiite militias and al-Qaida holdouts in Diyala province following spring offensives in the south. There was no indication of when the operations would occur, however.

"Very soon there will be a big operation by our security forces in Diyala," Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abul Karim Khalaf said, adding, "There will be fighting. It is going to be tough."

Khalaf said advance teams are already in place and military officials expect the Diyala operation to follow the success of past operations, such as those in the southern port city of Basra earlier this year, said The Gulf Daily News.

"We hope to succeed," the spokesman said. "We already have people there collecting information. (God willing) we will succeed as we did in other places."