Another Iraqi Province Considers Semi-Autonomy Bid; 8 Iraqis Killed in Attacks

Anbar province is now considering whether to seek converting to a semi-autonomous region. Meanwhile, at least eight Iraqis were killed and 17 more were wounded across central and northern Iraq.

Ma’moun Sami al-Alwani, who chairs Anbar‘s provincial council, said they would hold a number of meetings to determine public sentiment towards seeking region status for the province. Without support, he added, they would not do so. Anbar is predominantly Sunni and has had numerous issues with the central government, but Alwani doesn’t think there is much support for the status change. In recent weeks, several other areas have expressed a desire to become semi-autonomous regions as Iraqi Kurdistan has already.

Gunmen killed a policeman and his brother during a home invasion near Baquba; two relatives were also wounded.  A sticky bomb blast killed the driver and wounded six people, who were his sister and her five children.

In Baghdad, gunmen killed a government worker and his wife while they were in their car in the Jadriya district. A bomb wounded a civilian.

In Mosul, a bomb targeting an army patrol exploded and killed a soldier. Gunmen killed the owner of a restaurant that caters to security personnel. Mortar fire wounded two people. A bomb wounded a soldier.

A bomb in Abu Ghraib killed one civilian and wounded two others.

A roadside bomb exploded near the Kirkuk home of a Kurdish Asayesh agent, wounding both him and his wife.

A boy was injured in Abu Karma when a bomb exploded.

Author: Margaret Griffis

Margaret Griffis is a journalist from Miami Beach, Florida and has been covering Iraqi casualties for Antiwar.com since 2006.