Updated at 10:41 p.m. EDT, Oct. 23, 2010
At least 10 Iraqis were killed and 33 more were wounded in new violence. The worst attack occurred outside of Baghdad in the suburb of Abu Ghraib. Meanwhile, the Wikileaks Iraq logs could undermine the prime minister’s attempt to retain his seat.
Documentation of extensive torture of detainees in the newly released Wikileaks reports could support previous allegations that the Iraqi government has either turned a blind eye or itself directed torture and illegal executions during Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki‘s term. While Maliki only claims to have been tough with terrorists, his rivals are using the documents to call for his removal from office. He has been at the helm of a caretaker government since March when his State of Law narrowly lost the national elections. These revelations are not expected to harm his chances of maintaining the premiership, but they could help lead to a previously suggested power sharing scheme with leading party Iraqiya, which has been unable to form a large enough coalition to knock Maliki completely out and seat their own premier.
A U.S. military report that is part of the Wikileaks logs suggests that three American hikers captured by Iran were picked up on the Iraqi side of the border.
A pair of explosions in Abu Ghraib left two soldiers dead and 14 others wounded. Three civilians were also wounded in the attack targeting a brigade commander’s convoy. Two earlier attacks left a soldier and a civilian wounded.
In Baghdad, a sticky bomb wounded a driver in Doura. Gunmen wounded three people in Bayaa. A blast in Ghazaliya killed a soldier and wounded two others. Several suspects were detained.
Two blasts left five wounded in Baquba.
In Amara, a bomber was killed during a blast, while two bystanders were wounded.
In Mosul, gunmen killed four people, three of them female, in a home invasion. One gunman was killed and another was wounded when the bomb they were handling exploded. A bomb killed a child.
