Diyala operations continue despite probe

BAGHDAD, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Iraqi defense officials Friday said military operations in Diyala province were unaffected by a probe into a raid on the provincial headquarters.

Iraqi gunmen on Tuesday stormed the offices of the Diyala provincial security chief, Hussain al-Zubaidi, killing his secretary and several other security officials.

The raid followed the withdrawal of the Kurdish Peshmerga force from northern Diyala province. Zubaidi is a member of the Sunni Islamic Party, which supports a Kurdish federal region in Iraq.

Baghdad ordered a large-scale military operation targeting Shiite militias and al-Qaida fighters in Diyala in July. Defense officials said the raid will not affect those operations, the Iraqi television network al-Sumaria reported.

Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Boulani said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had appointed him to oversee an investigation into the matter following a visit to the region with Defense Minister Abdul Qadir.

Maliki also faced accusations from Iraqi lawmakers that the force responsible for the raid was sanctioned by Baghdad for several military operations throughout the country.