Seven Killed in Iraq; Sahwa Walkout Threatens Security

by , October 18, 2012

At least seven Iraqis were killed and 17 more were wounded in new violence. Also, many Sahwa members in the Kirkuk area are threatening to quit their jobs.

A number of Sahwa members quit their jobs and abandoned their posts in Hawija and Kirkuk. The men say their demands have not been met, but local leaders are asking them to remain on the job. The Sahwa were to have been folded into the military, but the central government has refused to fully do so. The payment of salaries has also been slow at times. Because the group is made of Sunnis, many who are former insurgents, the central government has been wary of them if not outright antagonistic. About 8,000 Sahwa are in the Kirkuk region. Should they all abandon their posts, it would be a significant blow to security.

In Anbar province, a clash between hunters and gunmen left six people dead, two of them hunters, and two hunters wounded.

In Baghdad, a blast in the Karrada district killed one civilian and wounded six others. A bomb wounded three civilians in Shabb.

Four soldiers were wounded during a bombing in Falluja.

Gunmen wounded two policemen in Kirkuk.

Read more by Margaret Griffis