Iraqi army detain 46 near Iran border

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BAGHDAD, July 21 (AFP): Iraqi troops have detained 46 suspected militants and killed five others in a new operation in eastern Diyala, the army said Saturday, while a US soldier was reported killed in an explosion in the volatile province. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office, meanwhile, confirmed that he had received an invitation for his Turkish counterpart to visit the country to discuss Turkey's demand that Baghdad crack down on guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq but no date has been set.
"I think that the date will be set soon," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.
In violence Saturday, a bomb left on a minibus also exploded shortly after noon in the predominantly Shiite area of
Baladiyat in eastern Baghdad, killing at least five Iraqis and wounding 11, police said. A mortar attack also struck the eastern outskirts of Baghdad, killing two people and wounding four, another officer said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.
US and Iraqi forces have stepped up efforts in recent weeks against the violence in Diyala, particularly in the provincial capital, Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad. Sunni and Shiite extremists fled to the area as US and Iraqi forces began an offensive in the capital.