Updated at 9:30 p.m. EDT, May 16, 2008
Few clashes were reported in Sadr City, where a truce between Shi’ite gunmen and Iraqi forces was imposed earlier this week. At least 16 Iraqis were killed and another 41 were wounded in attacks during a fairly quiet prayer day. Also, the DOD reported the death of an American soldier who had been injured May 1st in Baghdad.
More information was released on an assassination attempt that occurred yesterday in Baghdad. An attack on an Iranian convoy left two Iranian diplomats with wounds. Two employees were also wounded. One employee was Iranian, while the other was an Iraqi. Iran is holding the U.S. responsible for the attacks. Meanwhile, Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani warned of an increase in assassinations and the consequences that may follow.
In Baghdad, a roadside bomb in a central district killed one person and wounded three others. A bomb targeting an army patrol wounded three civilians near the al-Nahda garage. Another bomb injured two civilians in Zaafaraniyah. U.S. forces killed a gunman and wounded a second when they attacked a patrol while in eastern Baghdad. No injuries were reported when mortars struck the Ghazaliyah police station and a marketplace in Shabb. Also, four dumped bodies were found.
Hospital sources in Sadr City reported two dead and 11 injured in the latest violence. These included several people who were brought into hospital from eastern Baghdad neighbrohoods.
A suicide car bomber attacked a Fallujah police station. Four policemen were killed and nine others were wounded. Police beat up two photojournalists who arrived to cover the scene. Also, one policeman was seriously wounded during a separate shooting.
In Mosul, a child was wounded when security forces detonated a roadside bomb. A stray bullet killed a doctor inside his home. Stray bullets also killed a woman. Also, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki offered amnesty and cash rewards for gunmen. In Ninewah province, many gunmen are thought to belong to Sunni militias and al-Qaeda. Unlike a similar crackdown in Basra, the U.S. is providing support to the Iraqi security forces conducting the operation. Meanwhile, 14 suspects were detained.
A bomb in Jalawla left five people wounded. Four of them were children belonging to the same family.
Nine suspects were detained in Mahaweel.
U.S. forces captured 12 suspects in Iskandariya.
An Iraqi journalist and his son were freed in Diwaniya after spending four months in custody without a trial.
A roadside bomb factory was found in Basra.
Near Kirkuk, a roadside bomb killed one civilian and wounded three members of his family.
Iran bombarded villages in the Bashdar district. No casualties were reported but villagers were evacuating along with their livestock.
A body was found near Sirwan Lake.
Compiled by Margaret Griffis
