Poised...

An Iraqi woman has her retina scanned after enlisting as one of the first Daughters Of Iraq security volunteers in Had Maskur, north of Baghdad in Iraq's volatile Diyala province on Friday, July 11, 2008. Around 70 women clad in black abayas fanned themselves in a courtyard at a police station Sunday as Iraqi officials and U.S. troops gathered to celebrate the graduation of the first Daughters of Iraq group in this volatile area. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Iraq's Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said Sunday that the government would soon launch an operation in the eastern province of Diyala.
"The Diyala operation will be the last surge," Khalaf told a press conference.

BUSHRA JUHI - AP

Evening...

The last 12 hours have been a busy one for the news hounds. A lot of the information they are pushing involves the Diyala province and the work of the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. I expect you have seen most of it but if not, lets quickly review...

First, the story on the graduation of the first Daughters of Iraq group in the Diyala province. All of the photos in the article were taken by Maya Alleruzzo, AP. Though not identified specifically, the soldiers in the photos are from the 2nd SCR.

Why is this newsworthy? Think Black Widows and the ability of the first Daughters of Iraq to properly search women and prevent suicide attacks...

By Maya Alleruzzo ASSOCIATED PRESS
10:04 a.m. July 13, 2008

AL ABARA, Iraq – Around 70 women clad in black abayas fanned themselves in a courtyard at a police station Sunday as Iraqi officials and U.S. troops gathered to celebrate the graduation of the first Daughters of Iraq group in this volatile area.

The group of women security volunteers was formed in an effort to stop female suicide attacks in Diyala province, still torn by violence. The women will begin searching other women at checkpoints, schools and hospitals next week.

The group of 70 represented a total of 130 women who graduated after a five-day training course. They join the ranks of several hundred U.S.- allied men security volunteers countrywide, called the Sons of Iraq.

Unlike their male counterparts, however, the Daughters of Iraq will not carry weapons. The program was conceived in response to a rise in female suicide attacks in the province, said U.S. Army Capt. Charles Knoll, whose unit is responsible for security in several towns in the Diyala river valley, north of Baghdad.

More than nine suicide attacks have been carried out by women in Diyala this year, part of a wave of over 20 female suicide attacks countrywide.

“We found a void in our security measures,” Knoll said. “But in Iraqi culture it is very difficult to search women. We had to find a way to fill this gap.”

At first, local police commanders laughed off the idea of women working as security volunteers, Knoll said. But slowly, they warmed to the idea and approached women in four towns to enlist.

Lt. Col. Sattar Jabbar, who heads the Iraqi police station in al-Abara, said the program also could be a good source of intelligence information.

“This will break down a big wall between us and the community,” he said. “They can get information so quick, woman to woman.”

Three-quarters of the women volunteers are widows of Iraqi policemen slain by al-Qaeda, Jabbar said.

U.S. Army officers say they have not yet determined how much the women volunteers will be paid for their work.

For Shahla Hassan Alwan, 35, a widow with six children at home, being a Daughter of Iraq is a personal mission, but it's also a way to provide for her family.

Like many of the other women who graduated on Sunday, Alwan would like to see the assignment turn into a more permanent job.

“We see female police in America and we want to be like them,” said Alwan. “It is a dream we want to make true. We want to use all the power we have to help our country.”

Saleemah Hafeth Hassan, 35, a former Iraqi Army soldier during Saddam Hussein's regime who also has enlisted in the volunteer group, saw two of her brothers slain by al-Qaeda.

“The danger is normal for me,” she said. “If I don't help my country, who will?

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Rachel Roberts, left, from Charlie Battery, Fires Squadron, Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment, and a translator, right, enlist Daughters of Iraq security volunteers in al-Abara, north of Baghdad in Iraq's volatile Diyala province on Sunday, July 13, 2008.
(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

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Other stories that caught my attention...

Iraq expects 'tough' fighting in Qaeda stronghold -- I trust the Iraqi Army will take the lead on this but time will tell..

US pleased, worried, by newfound Iraqi confidence

K, that's what I am tracking...how 'bout you? It is never boring for the 2nd SCR and their families, eh?

Chris, I love you son!

Be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman