Thursday: 9 Iraqis Killed, 22 Wounded

Updated at 7:09 p.m. EDT, Apr. 2, 2009

At least nine people were killed and 22 more were wounded in the latest attacks. Meanwhile, the Iraqi government promised to issue overdue paychecks to Awakening Council (Sahwa) members next week.

Awakening Coucil (Sahwa) members will finally receive overdue paychecks next week if the Iraqi government keeps to its promise. Officials blamed red tape for the delays. Members of the Fadhil Sahwa chapter will also receive their pay. Last weekend, that group rioted after their unit leader was arrested on terrorism charges. The Sahwa groups had been under the authority of U.S. forces until last autumn when they handed over control to the Iraqis. The Iraqi government was to have paid the men salaries, move them into regular security forces or find them other employment. There is still distrust between the Sunni paramilitary group and the Shi’ite central government for mostly sectarian reasons.

An old grave containing at least two bodies was discovered in Suleimaniyah. They could date as far back as the Saddam regime.

In Mosul, a roadside bomb in al-Shuhadaa garden wounded six people, including a civilian. A bomb in Bab Lakash wounded two people. Four people were wounded in a southern neighborhood during a third bomb blast. Police detained a gunman. Also, a government official accused of terrorism was cleared of all charges and released after spending a year in jail. Four Iraqi soldiers were wounded during a bombing in northern Mosul.

In Baghdad, gunmen killed an Iraqi army officer in Mansour; one gunman was killed and another captured. Seven rockets struck a U.S. base in Baladiyat, but no casualties were reported. Also, 17 suspects were detained.

A bomb blast in Talkeef killed one person and wounded three others. Two policemen were among the wounded. Talkeef is a suburb of Mosul.

A bicycle bomb left at a Baquba car dealership killed three people and destroyed several cars. At least two more people were reported wounded.

A police officer died today of wounds received during a blast in Riyadh on March 10.

Three people were kidnapped from Khalis.

No casualties were reported after a Katyusha rocket attack on a Missan province sugar processor. One building was set ablaze and several vehicles were destroyed.

A wanted man was captured in Fallujah.

Eight al-Qaeda suspects were detained near Buhriz.

Large ammunition caches were discovered in Hawija.

During continuing operation in Basra, 50 suspects were detained.

Almost 13,000 detainees remain in MNF custody. This is the lowest figure since 2006. The U.S.-Iraqi S.O.F.A. agreement signed last year forces the U.S. to either free detainees or release them into Iraqi custody. Many of the detainees claimed to have been arrested unfairly and never received trials.

Author: Margaret Griffis

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