U.S., Iraqi Forces Prepare for Election-fueled Violence

[HT:RL]
U.S. and Iraqi forces in Iraq’s Diyala province are preparing for rising violence amid upcoming provincial elections, an Army commander in Iraq said at a Pentagon news conference today. Army Col. Burt Thompson, commander of the 25th Infantry Division’s 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, said he anticipates an increase in violent activities as the Jan. 31 polling date nears. “It's pretty clear what they'd be going after,” Thompson said, referring to potential election saboteurs. “It's to sway the hearts and the minds, to intimidate those civilians from going and voting.”

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