Iraq Province Struggles to Contain Tension

"BAQOUBA, Iraq (AP) - From the riverside cities in the Sunni Arab-dominated West to the rows of army barracks packed with Shiite soldiers in this religiously mixed city, the soothing refrain can be heard over and over.

"I am neither Sunni nor Shiite. We are all Iraqi," goes the line, assertively spoken by some who dismiss fears that the country is heading toward civil war.

Others, however, utter the mantra with less certainty.

In the diverse province of Diyala, home to Sunni and Shiite Arabs as well as a Kurdish minority, attacks on mosques and markets spiked recently. The number of deaths doubled from 144 in the spring to 296 in the summer - and the figure continues to grow. Most recent fatalities were the result of attacks on Shiite civilians, according to provincial police records.

Over three weeks this fall, suicide bombings at two mosques, a market and a funeral procession in Diyala, located north of Baghdad, killed 150 civilians."
MyWay