BAQUBA, Iraq - The streets of Baquba, capital of the restive Iraqi province of Diyala, were deserted on Friday as security forces imposed a ban on vehicles in a bid to curb violence, an AFP correspondent said. The one-day curfew was imposed in Baquba, 60 kilometres (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, and in the province’s other main towns of Al-Khalis and Al-Muqdadiyah, military operations chief Brigadier General Raghib al-Omeiri said.“The curfew will include all types of vehicles with the aim of curbing the violence,” Omeiri told AFP. “The three cities under curfew are the most volatile places in Diyala province and have been witnessing violent actions on an almost daily basis.”
Diyala, one of the most dangerous areas of the country, has been hit by a spate of shootings, suicide attacks and roadside bombings in recent days.
US assistant commander in chief for northern Iraq, Brigadier General James Boozer, told a news conference on Wednesday that Baquba and Muqdadiyah were the key areas of violence in Iraq, along with the northern city of Mosul.