Diyala steps up Mansuriya security

BAQUBA - Authorities in Diyala province have launched a new security plan to protect the Mansuriya gas field, as the installation of two new gas turbines at an accompanying power plant gets underway.

The field, 45 kilometers east of the provincial capital Baquba, is essential to increasing the prosperity of Diyala province, which currently generates just 200 megawatts of the estimated 700 megawatts demanded. Diyala leaders believe such critical infrastructure could be an attractive target for armed groups looking to emulate the lethal attack at the Akkas gas field, in Anbar province, on April 1.