Updated at 10:35 p.m. EDT, April, 27, 2010
At least 12 Iraqis were killed and 22 more were wounded in new attacks, but today’s measure of the situation in Iraq was best underscored by the prime minister personally ordering the release of hundreds of innocent detainees. Over the years, tens of thousands of Iraqis have been rounded up en masse and then released for lack of evidence. Over 100 new arrests across the country were reported today alone.
In an unusual development, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki personally ordered the release of 376 detainees who proved their innocence. The location of the prisoners was not identified, but the prime minister was recently accused of operating a secret prison where Sunni prisoners have been kept illegally and tortured. The governor of Ninewa demanded an investigation into the secret prison because of the 463 alleged detainees from Ninewa held there.
The fate of nine candidates who could be disqualified from taking their place in the new parliament was postponed. The nine won their seats in last month’s elections. Hundreds of candidates were disqualified over alleged ties to the defunct Ba’ath Party, but many analysts believe the disqualifications are politically motivated.
In Baghdad, an early morning mortar attack killed two soldiers and wounded 14 people at a security station in Hurriya. A sticky bomb in Binouk killed four member of the same family and wounded two bystanders.
In Mosul, gunmen killed one policeman and wounded a second at a checkpoint; the policemen returned fire, injuring one man and one child. A policeman was wounded in a bombing. A second bombing wounded a civilian. Two civilians were killed in crossfire. Twelve suspects were arrested. Five oil smugglers were arrested.
A soldier/student was killed and his companion was injured during a drive-by shooting in Kirkuk. A third student was killed according to some reports.
A motorcycle rider was killed when soldiers opened fire on him in Amara. The soldiers were arrested pending an investigation.
Joint U.S.-Iraqi forces arrested a major in the Fallujah police force for unknown reasons.
Sixty-one suspects were arrested north of Tikrit.
Twenty-two wanted suspects surrendered to police in Diyala province.
Nine suspects were captured in Basra province.
Gunmen in military uniforms robbed a home in Numaniya.
The police chief in Rawa was dismissed.
