BAGHDAD (AP):

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 north-east of Baghdad, the provincial police chief said yesterday.

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.

Only last week, the mayor was reportedly kidnapped by Sunni insurgents who blew up his office in Baqouba and stole several new police vehicles. He was released a few days later. Baqouba is the Diyala province capital.

Al-Qureyshi said the 1,500 police were fired because the force had fled rather than fight when Baqouba was attacked by insurgents in November.

Free of corruption

The provincial police chief said he was determined to create a police force free of corruption.

American and Iraqi reported last week that they had killed 100 insurgent fighters in a 10-day operation near Baqouba.

In June, al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. air strike on his hideout near Baqouba, and his death was followed by a series of raids that the military said revealed a "treasure trove" of intelligence.

But the situation in Baqouba began to worsen in October when the predominantly Shi'ite Iraqi army launched a major detention campaign against suspected Sunni insurgents in the city. Angry Sunnis have fought back.