Iraqi police chief sacks 1,500 officers

The mayor of Baqouba and 1,500 policemen in Diyala province have been fired in a bid to end the raging violence in the region northeast of Baghdad, the provincial police chief said tonight.

Ghanim al-Qureyshi, who took over police operations in the violent province after his predecessor was sacked last month, said Mayor Khalid Al-Senjeri, a Sunni Muslim, was dismissed over suspicions he was collaborating with Sunni insurgent fighters.