At least 103 people were killed and 189 more were wounded today. The deadliest attack took place in Kirkuk where dozens of civilians and security forces were killed or wounded. Also, Iranian soldiers may have briefly crossed the border to help Peshmerga fighters in Diyala province.
The U.N. special representative for Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, is calling on world leaders to rescue the town of Amerli from the Islamic State. After weeks of keeping ISIS/DAASH from taking the city, residents are running out of supplies, including food and water. It is feared that Amerli coule suffer the same fate as another Turkmen town, Tal Afar, or that of predominantly Yazidi Sinjar.
Although the Iranian Foreign Ministry denies it, there are reports of Iranian soldiers crossing over briefly into Iraq on Friday. They may have been deployed to reinforce Peshmerga forces in the area of Jalawla. Because it is the closest city to the Iranian border where militants have achieved a foothold, retaining control of Jalawla is strategically very important to Iran.
Maneuvers in the Jalawla did leave five militants dead and seven wounded. Several roads were recovered, as were four eastern villages and a valley. It is unclear if the Iranians participated in any of these particular operations.
Three suicide bombers targeting a Kurdish headquarters in Kirkuk killed 31 people, including civilians, and wounded 123 more. Separately, three dumped bodies were found. Also, five Arab Iraqis were detained in retaliation for the kidnapping of a Kurdish Iraqi.
In Baghdad, 11 people were killed and over 24 were wounded when a suicide bomber struck at the Interior Ministry. Nine militants were killed in Thaar.
Nine soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in Tikrit. Twelve militants were killed in an airstrike.
In Falluja, shelling left four civilians dead and 13 more wounded.
A family of five was killed during an airstrike in Qayara.
A rare bombing in Arbil left four wounded.
In Duluiya, three militants were killed and 18 more were injured during a clash with security forces and volunteers.
Airstrikes in Haditha left three militants dead.
Two militants were killed in separate airstrikes around Mosul.
In Makhmour, Peshmerga forces spread out across the city after airstrikes killed many militants.
A militant commander was killed in Hamrin.
Unidentified planes bombed Rawa.
Airstrikes took place in Baiji, Yenkeja, and Suleiman Pek.
Militants in Jurf al-Sakhar, Yusufiya and Dhabtiah were killed in airstrikes.
