Bombers again struck Baghdad, but they also hit south of the capital in the Hilla area. Meanwhile fighting continued in Anbar and Salah ad Din provinces. In political news, Moqtada al-Sadr came out of retirement, and a U.S. soldier convicted of heinous acts in Iraq was found dead in prison. Overall, at least 142 people were killed and 163 more were wounded.
In the United States, a U.S. soldier, convicted of rape and murder in Iraq, was found dead in a maximum-security jail cell. Steven Dale Green’s death is being investigated as a suicide. He was serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of a 14-year old Iraqi girl. He also murdered her parents and six-year-old sister.
In a televised speech from Najaf, Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has reemerged into Iraqi politics just days after he announced he would retire. He said he would not give up his influence at this crucial moment before elections. He also criticized the government and even some members of his own coalition.
A series of bomb blasts around Hilla left 35 dead and 90 more wounded. Those blasts took place in Mussayab, Iskandariya, and Haswa. The one in Iskandariya targeted children.
In Baghdad, at least 17 people were killed and 35 more were wounded in a series of bombings. Two dumped bodies were found. A civilian was shot dead in Zaafaraniya. Baghdad Operations Command reported killing 45 militants but did not give details besides that some of the men were foreign nationals.
The Ministry of Defense said that 17 militants were killed in Ramadi. An officer was shot dead.
Troops are still fighting militants in the northern city of Suleiman Bek, where four policemen were killed during a mortar attack. At least two more were wounded.
A car bomb in Haditha wounded the police chief and nine others, including two civilians.
Shelling in Falluja left two dead and 12 wounded. Clashes continued.
In Mosul, gunmen killed a police officer. Two more policemen were gunned down. Two soldiers were shot dead. Gunmen wounded three policemen. A grenade wounded three women.
Three militants were killed while trying to take over a village near Saidiya. Gunmen also killed one civilian and wounded another.
A sticky bomb killed a person in Latifiya.
A roadside bomb in Baquba injured a police officer and a policeman.
A roadside bomb wounded two people in Kirkuk.
Two gunmen were killed in Tal Afar.
Three gunmen were killed and six were wounded in an overnight operation near Hilla in Jurf al-Sakhar.
Security forces in Samarra killed two gunmen.
