Updated at 7:32 p.m. EST, Nov. 23, 2009
A possible resolution for the elections law impasse was agreed to by lawmakers, but not before Sunni politicians walked out on the debate. At least one Iraqi was killed and 21 more were wounded in light violence. Kidnappings and arrests were made across the country. In provinces such as Basra and Diyala, arrests have, in the past, been used to harass political rivals.
The elections law was amended, but not quite as Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi would have liked. A different population model was used to redistribute seats in parliament. This new model should give Kurds, not Sunnis, more representation and will likely force a second veto from the vice president; however, parliament can override the veto with a three-fifths majority vote should that occur. Any more delays could imperil January’s election and possibly postpone the U.S. drawdown which is linked to that election.
In Baghdad, gunmen wounded two men guarding the home of former prime minister, Iyad Allawi. Two people were wounded during a blast on Nidhal Street. A bomb wounded two people in Karrada; a little while later a second bomb wounded four more. Also in Karrada, gunmen critically wounded a television journalist. A blast under the Sinak Bridge wounded one civilian. A bomb targeting a U.S. patrol in Husseiniya injured two Iraqis instead. A sticky bomb in New Baghdad wounded two civilians.
In Mosul, an explosion killed an army officer and wounded a civilian.
Four policemen were wounded in a roadside bomb blast in Nassiriya. The bomb was targeting a U.S. patrol.
The head of criminal investigations in Kirkuk survived a roadside bomb blast. A Christian man was kidnapped. Another man was also kidnapped. Both worked in the oil industry.
A day after a bomb exploded at Tikrit University, police discovered an improvised bomb made using a mortar shell and mobile phone. They were able to defuse it safely.
A man suspected of involvement in the death a U.S. soldier yesterday in Numaniya was captured.
Thirty suspects were detained during a raid in Amara.
Twenty-one suspects were arrested across Basra province.
One suspect was captured in Missan province.
One suspect was arrested in Salah ad Din province.
An al-Qaeda suspect was arrested in Hawija.
A man suspected of being an al-Qaeda leader and carrying false identification was picked up in Baquba. Warrants were issued for 480 detainees who had been freed. They again stand accused of crimes and connections to al-Qaeda.
A suicide bomber, who was killed in Qaim yesterday, today was revealed to be a Kuwaiti citizen holding fake Iraqi identification.
