At least seven Iraqis were killed and 11 more were wounded in light violence. In other news, an Iraqi court handed "Chemical Ali" his fourth death sentence, and former F.M. Tariq Aziz has suffered a massive stroke. Also, the Iraq (Chilcot) Inquiry fill feature a very revealing letter during testimony this week.
Chemical Ali has been given a fourth death sentence, this one is for his role in the 1988 gassing of Kurds in Halabja. More than 5,000 died in the attack and many survivors still suffer the after effects of the gas. Several other officials received jail terms. Ali Hassan al-Majid, who is Saddam’s Hussein’s cousin, earned his nickname from his ease in using chemical weapons. Meanwhile, another Saddam official has suffered a stroke while in prison. Former Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz is said to have lost the ability to speak, and his family has asked the 73-year-old be released on humanitarian grounds.
A letter from then-Foreign Minister Jack Straw to then-Prime Minister Tony Blair revealing Straw’s doubts about plans to invade Iraq was published and will be an integral part of Iraq Inquiry testimony this week. The inquiry has no power to mete out punishment, but its findings could prove to be embarrassing to politicians who pushed for the unpopular war.
In Mosul, gunmen killed a Christian man. Another two civilians were killed in separate shootings.
Three brothers were killed when a large group of uniformed gunmen raided their Buhriz home.
Six people were wounded when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb near Kut in Ahrar.
In Baghdad, a bomb hidden in garbage and place under a Ghadeer bridge killed one person and wounded four more.
A bomb struck a motorcade carrying a provincial official traveling through Samarra. One security guard was wounded.
Tal Afar has tightened security after police were tipped off to an assassination plot meant to stoke sectarian fear. Meanwhile, celebratory gunfire followed the release of a kidnapped farmer.
An official in Missan said the Iranians are still in control of the Fakka oil field.
A rocket cache was discovered in Kut.
Six suspects were captured in Basra province.
