At least 26 Qataris, including members of the royal family, were kidnapped while on a hunting trip near Busaya in southern Iraq. Two Iraqi security officers were also kidnapped but later released.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit.
The United States asked Turkey to remove its unauthorized troops from northern Iraq in order to defuse tensions between the two neighbors.
Iraq has rejected U.S. offers of more American troops and helicopters.
Italy said it will send 450 troops and station them next to Americans who are guarding the Mosul Dam. An Italian company has financial interests in the dam.
At least 207 were killed and 56 were wounded:
Kurdish Peshmerga units repelled a coordinated attack by Islamic State militants at multiple locations, including a base where Turkish troops were forced to vacate this week. The attack, which lasted several hours, involved bombs, rockets, and mortars. The towns of Khazr, Nawaran, Tal Aswad, and Zardik were attacked, as well as Ba’Shiqah, where Turkish troops were stationed. Kurdistan Regional Security Council (K.R.S.C.) said that 70 militants were killed during the fight, which included retaliatory airstrikes.
Shi’ite militant group Kata’ib Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the mortars that were fired on Ba’Shiqah, but the fighters are stationed too far away from the town to have accomplished such a feat.
At Ba’Shiqah, three Sunni fighters were killed and six others were wounded. Four Turkish soldiers were wounded as well during the mortar attack. At two locations near Tal Afar, seven Peshmerga were killed and five were wounded. Six Peshmerga were killed and 13 were wounded at Kaske.
Shelling at Camp Zhelkan, near Mosul, left three security personnel dead and three more wounded.
Clashes in Amiriyat al-Falluja left three security personnel and seven militants dead. At least seven security personnel were wounded.
Six soldiers were killed when a bomb exploded in Abu Ghraib.
In Baghdad, a bomb killed one person and wounded five more in Mashtal.
A soldier was gunned down in Tarmiya.
In Mosul, two policemen were executed. Four people were wounded when militants blew up several Shabak homes. Militants detained 100 youths for “violating instructions.” Militants executed 11 of their own, including a wali, on charges of treason. Two militant officials were killed in a strike.
At least 37 militants were killed in fighting in Ramadi.
Airstrikes on Hawija killed 16 militants and wounded nine more.
Twelve militants were killed in airstrikes on Tal Afar.
Seven militants were killed at the Palestine Bridge.
Airstrikes on Albu Dyab left 10 militants dead.
In Malha, three militants were killed.
