Updated at 8:54 p.m. EDT, May 25, 2010
Gunmen at a Baghdad gold market staged a bold robbery that left over a dozen merchants and bystanders dead. At least 19 Iraqis were killed and 20 more were wounded in that attack and other violence across Baghdad and northern Iraq. Meanwhile, Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin III has been tapped to lead U.S. forces in Iraq.
At least three Iraqis were killed and seven more were wounded in the latest violence. Also, one U.S. soldier was killed while conducting security operations. With the occupation winding down and foreign reporters having gone home, fewer reports manage to get out of the country unless a major story occurs.
A delegation from the Iraqiya party visited the marjaiya in Najaf to discuss the formation of the new government. The meeting seems to have had a positive effect. Meanwhile, at least two Iraqis were killed and five more were wounded in light violence.
At least three Iraqis were killed and nine more were wounded in light violence just a day after a significant bombing in Khalis. Also, two U.S. soldiers were killed in separate location in northern Iraq. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) said that four rebels were killed and five more were wounded during Turkish air strikes on northern Iraq.
Updated at 2:01 p.m. EDT, May 22, 2010
A car bombing in a predominantly Shi’ite city near Baghdad killed and wounded dozens. Overall, at least 56 Iraqis were killed and 158 were wounded across the country. Also, two Iranians held in U.S. detention were freed.
Updated at 8:12 p.m. EDT, May 20, 2010
At least 10 Iraqis were killed and 46 were wounded in a series of small attacks across the country. Meanwhile, the prime minister issued an incendiary statement basically telling the winning party in parliamentary elections to give up on heading the new government. Also, Turkish warplanes launched a two-hour air strike on about 50 suspected PKK rebel locations.
At least 14 Iraqis were killed and 32 more were wounded in the latest attacks. Meanwhile, officials have denied news reports of a security wall being erected around Baghdad, and protests continue in Kurdistan, where a journalist was killed recently.
Updated at 5:45 p.m. EDT, May 18, 2010
At least four Iraqis were killed and one child was wounded in light violence. Witnesses also reported that a number of U.S. soldiers were wounded in a roadside bomb blast in Muqdadiya. Meanwhile, Britain’s Iraq war inquiry panel (Chilcot) traveled to the U.S. to investigate the case for the 2003 invasion.
At least five Iraqis were killed and five more were wounded in light violence that focused in Diyala province, where two Sunni imams were killed. Meanwhile, an Iraqi court threw out the disqualifications of nine candidates accused of ties to the Ba’ath Party.
At least eight Iraqis were killed and one more was wounded in unusually light violence. Seven of the dead were prisoners killed under mysterious circumstances earlier in the week. Also, the Iraqi government condemned yesterday’s statement from Saudi prince and intelligence chief Turki al-Faisal, who accused Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of trying to steal the election.