AP: 1,500 Policemen Fired in Iraqi Province (Diyala)

By Associated Press

January 28, 2007, 3:26 PM EST

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The mayor of Baqouba and 1,500 police officers in Diyala province
have been fired in a bid to end the raging violence in that region northeast of
Baghdad, the provincial police chief said Sunday.

Ghanim al-Qureyshi, who took command of police operations in the violent province
after his predecessor was sacked last month, said Mayor Khalid Al-Senjeri, a Sunni
Muslim, was dismissed over suspicions he was collaborating with Sunni Arab insurgents.

Last week, the mayor was reported kidnapped by insurgents who blew up his office and
stole several new police vehicles in Baquoba, the provincial capital. He was released
a few days later.

Al-Qureyshi said the 1,500 policemen were fired because they fled rather than fight
when insurgents attacked in Baqouba in November. The chief said he was determined
to create a police force free of corruption.

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