US and Iraqi soldiers killed one al Qaeda operative and detained nine during an operation in Abu Tamur; five Iraqi soldiers were killed while clearing a house. Coalition forces detained 18 al Qaeda operatives during raids in central Iraq. Coalition forces captured a Special Groups leader and eight associates in Huwaysh and a facilitator in the Qasarin area; both regions are in Diyala province. An Iraqi soldier is suspected of killing two US soldiers in Mosul on Dec. 26. Five more Awakening Councils have been set up in regions in Diyala. A Fallujah tribal chiefs council member was assassinated.
