Updated at 12:25 a.m. EDT, Mar. 30, 2008
At least 171 Iraqis were killed and 289 were wounded across Iraq. These casualty figures may include updated numbers from previous days of fighting in the Mahdi Army clashes. Still, a significant number of people were killed or injured since yesterday, including a several PKK separatists near the Turkish border. Two American soldiers were killed during an IED attack in Baghdad this afternoon. Also, Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr made his first public appearance in almost a year.
Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr appeared in a TV interview to comment on the "liberation" of Iraq. This is the first time that the slimmed down al-Sadr has appeared in public since last May.
In Baghdad, ten people were wounded during a mortar attack in Sadr City. In Amil, a roadside bomb killed a policeman and wounded three others. Mortars killed one person and wounded 12 in eastern Baghdad. U.S. troops killed 48 gunmen since yesterday. A gunman launching an RPG near the al-Koraiaat Bridge died when it misfired. Also, mortars left no casualties when they landed in the Green Zone.
An official death tally for clashes in eastern Baghdad, including Sadr City, now stands at 133 dead and 647 wounded. This ups the figures from yesterday by 40 dead and 196 wounded, but exact figures difficult to determine as different groups give their own estimates. Also, 40 policemen have refused to fight their “brothers” in the Mahdi Army and handed over their weapons.
In Basra, eight people were killed and seven were injured, including women and children, during Coalition air strikes. An Iraqi helicopter was shot down, but there is no word on casualties. At least 39 of the dead in Basra appear to have been civilians.
Iraqi security forces killed 21 suspects in Karbala and detained others during clashes.
Three members of the same family died during a mortar attack in Bani Saad.
Two policemen were killed at an outdoor market in Mosul.
In Kut, ongoing clashes left three people dead, including two policemen, and two others wounded.
Clashes today in Nasiriya left 28 killed and 59 injured.
Turkish officials said that 15 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) separatists were killed as they were making their way into Turkey from Iraq. Long-range land weaponry was used. That was followed by airstrikes.
Compiled by Margaret Griffis
