A predominantly Kurdish battalion based in this northern city has started the march toward Baghdad, as the Iraqi military gears up for a major security operation aimed at pacifying the Iraqi capital. Hundreds of soldiers boarded dozens of jeeps, Humvees and trucks on Monday to begin the trip to Baghdad, 260 kilometres away.
Members of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 4th Division will undergo more specialized military training before being deployed in the capital, said Brig Gen Anwar Golani, the brigadeÂ’s commander. He said the training would be conducted at a base in western Baghdad under the supervision of US troops. |