On the eve of parliamentary elections, at least 67 Iraqis were killed and 115 more were wounded. Bombers again struck in Diyala province, not far from where a bomber caused massive casualties at a political rally yesterday.
Although he previously promised not to run for a third term, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is expected to win tomorrow. Much is at stake for him, but perhaps even more is at stake for Iraq. His support base has shrunk, particularly with Kurds in the north and certainly with Sunnis in the west and elsewhere. A third term could sink Iraq deeper into crisis.
In Anbar:
Two soldiers were killed and four policemen were wounded when a suicide bomber drove into a polling station in Haditha.
Shelling killed two people and wounded five more in Falluja.
A bomb in Abu Ghraib killed two people and wounded eight more. Six militants were killed during an operation.
In Houz, two people were killed and a third one was wounded when a shell fell on their home.
Two policemen were killed and three more were wounded when a suicide bomber attacked a police station in Rutba.
Gunmen shot at an ambulance in Khalidiya, injuring the driver and the patient.
Elsewhere:
A double bombing at a market in Saidiya killed 18 people, including women and children, and wounded 42 more. The first bomb chased the crowds to an exit, where a second bomb was planted.
In Baghdad, a bomb killed two policemen and wounded four more in Radwaniya. One person was killed and 11 more were wounded when mortars struck Ghazaliya. A suicide bomber in Doura killed two policemen and wounded nine more.
Two people were killed and eight more were wounded during a mortar strike in Sabaa al-Bour.
Gunmen killed five Sahwa members and wounded eight more in Madaen.
Three people were killed and seven more were wounded in Baquba, when a bomb exploded near a shop.
A bomb in Ishaqi killed a shepherd and wounded another who was his brother.
In Shirqat, eight gunmen were killed and two soldiers were wounded during a failed attempt to take over an army headquarters.
At least seven gunmen were killed during an extensive aerial assault in Jurf al-Sakhar.
