Security Forces Cooperate and Free Bashir; 165 Killed in Iraq

The town of Bashir has been liberated. Bashir was the source of chemical bomb attacks on the town of Taza recently. A joint force of Peshmerga and local Turkmen militiamen worked to rid the town of militants after previous attempts by Shi’ite militias had failed. Bashir is predominantly Shi’ite Turkmen.

At least 165 were killed and 134 were wounded:

In Baghdad, 18 pilgrims were killed and 45 were wounded in a possible suicide car bombing in the Saidiya district. Another bomb, in Doura, killed three people and wounded 10 more.

During clahses in Bashir, Peshmerga forces killed eight militants and wounded 11 more. Five security personnel were killed and 25 more were wounded. Later, shelling wounded 13 more militiamen; the shells may have contained chemical agents. Shi’ite militiamen are also accused of burning a militant to death.

Eleven Peshmerga were killed and 20 were wounded during a mortar attack on Gwer.

In Mosul, militants executed four Yazidi women. Farouq Brigade fighters killed six militants.

In Hammam al-Alil, three former Iraqi officers were executed.

Strikes near Amiriyat al-Falluja left 21 militants dead.

Seventeen militants were killed in the Baghdadi area.

Security forces killed 15 militants and wounded 10 more in Falahat.

Fifteen militants were killed in Albu Assaf.

Peshmerga forces killed 12 militants and wounded dozens more in Ba’Shiqah.

Strikes on Nasr killed 12 militants.

In Garma, 11 militants were killed.

Security forces in Jalawla killed two militants.

Author: Margaret Griffis

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