By Xinhua
Baghdad : US and Iraqi forces backed by air support have killed 33 insurgents during an operation aimed at reopening a water canal seized by gunmen in the volatile Diyala province, military said Tuesday.
Hundreds of US and Iraqi soldiers were involved in Monday’s predawn operation, dubbed “Operation Church”, into the village of Gobia in a bid to restore essential services to the town of Khalis, the military said in a statement.
“The objective of the mission was to open the spillway, which regulates water flow to the town of Khalis, restoring the essential service of water,” the statement said.
The troops have successfully reopened the spillway and confiscated three caches of weapons and explosives, said the statement.
Diyala province, which stretches from Baghdad to the Iranian border to the east, has long been the hotbed of insurgency and sectarian violence since the US-led invasion in 2003.