As a government spokesman spoke against foreign contractors, at least two Iraqis were killed and 19 more were wounded in new attacks. Also, fourteen people found guilty on terrorism charges were executed despite recent international condemnation of Iraq’s justice system and it use of the death penalty.
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said today that Iraq is looking into limiting the amount of foreign contractors working in the country. Although it is true that some contractors have operated wantonly in the country, it should be noted that if the administration were really interested in an Iraqi-only security force, it would not have been so slow in placing Sunnis within the ranks of its regular forces. So far, the government has made it more difficult to get the proper licenses. Movement around the country has likewise been curtailed. Also, contractors are no longer subject to immunity as they were in the past. Many have been briefly detained in recent weeks.
In Mussayab, four children were wounded at an abandoned home that blew up. A blast injured two women who are related to policemen.
A tribal chief was killed and another three people were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in Saidiya.
In Duquq, a blast at the home of Asayesh officers wounded three passersby. A car bomb at a police station wounded a policeman.
A bomb planted at an Abu Saida farm killed one man and wounded another.
A civilian was wounded during a blast in Qaim.
An I.E.D. in Zab exploded and wounded a lawyer.
In Baghdad, a sticky bomb wounded a policeman in the Utifiya district, along with two other people.
A car belonging to an investigator was torched in Garmayin.
