Tribal Leaders in Diyala Province Band Together

By Melinda L. Larson | American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2007 - Tribal leaders in Iraq's Diyala province are banding together to secure peace and protect their people, the commander of coalition forces in the province told reporters yesterday.

"They (tribal leaders) signed a peace agreement and swore to protect the land and their people from al Qaeda and to bridge the gap between tribes and to have a provincial-wide reconciliation movement," Army Col. David W. Sutherland said as he sat alongside the Iraqi security forces commander in Diyala, Maj. Gen. Abdul Kareem, during a joint news conference in Baqubah, Iraq.