BAQUBAH, Iraq — At the former Baath Party headquarters known as the Blue Dome, everything was set for candidates in the upcoming elections to come in and tape political ads for local TV.
The cameraman trained his viewfinder on the far end of a conference table where dusty plastic roses in yellow and pink served as decorative props. But recording the campaign spots this recent morning didn't take long.
Only three people showed up.
In many ways, Baqubah and the surrounding area in Diyala province exemplify the challenges facing Iraqis and U.S. troops in the campaign for the Jan. 30 elections. A boycott here in central Iraq in the area known as the Sunni Triangle could undermine the elections. Some Sunni Muslim politicians say that continued violence, especially in the central and northern parts of the country, will make it difficult to hold a fair election. Recently, the Bush administration began a major effort to coax Sunnis to vote.
On the ground, U.S. commanders have to solve a formidable logistical puzzle: moving many tons of security barriers throughout a province the size of New Jersey.
At the same time, it can't be obvious that they have a hand in the elections.
"It's the hardest problem we've had here," said Army Maj. Kreg Schnell, the intelligence officer for the 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Land mines and booby traps "are bad -- they kill a lot of people. But an election going bad" -- he shook his head -- "that's really bad."
In the last few weeks, insurgents have stepped up their attacks in this city about 40 miles northeast of Baghdad, primarily targeting local politicians and Iraqi security forces.
U.S. commanders have also stepped up raids: 45 in December compared with five in August.
Ambushes have been a particular problem. On Tuesday, five Iraqi national guardsmen and a civilian were killed by a suicide car bomber near downtown. Also on that day, gunmen assassinated Capt. Naem Muhanad Abdullah, an Iraqi police commander. Since October, about a dozen local politicians, including a mayor and two deputy governors, have been assassinated in and around Baqubah.
Baqubah police said gunmen killed two members of the Diyala governing council in separate incidents Saturday. One council member, Nawfal Abdul Hussein Shimari, 40, was killed along with his 25-year-old brother, Faris, as they left their office in the city center, said a police official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Ali Haddawi, another council member, was killed in a drive-by shooting on a main road in the province, the police said.
