At least eight Iraqis were killed and 10 more were wounded in light violence as Iraq prepares for the official end of U.S. military operations. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Baghdad to officiate at handover ceremonies.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden traveled to Iraq to preside over ceremonies marking the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the beginning of Operation New Dawn, the new name for American involvement in Iraq. Biden also made a point of asking Iraqi leaders to break their deadlock over selecting the next government. Gen. Ray Odierno, meanwhile, expressed worry that the deadlock could last more than a couple months and create a demand for a new election. Should that occur, the highly politicized nature of this census could force the postponement of the national census, which is scheduled for October.
In Baghdad, a bomb placed on a car in Kadhimiya killed one person and wounded three others. Mortars left no casualties in the Green Zone. A soldier was killed in a shooting at a checkpoint.
In Riyadh, two children were killed as they played with a hand grenade. Seven people were injured in a tribal clash.
Three gunmen were killed in Garma as they were trying to booby-trap a car.
In Fallujah, A bicycle bomb exploded without leaving casualties.
Army forces in Tal Afar killed a bomber.
In Kirkuk, police arrested a suspected Islamic State of Iraq leader. Four suspects were arrested and munitions were seized.
Fifteen suspects were arrested in Basra.
Supplies were stopped from reaching Camp Ashraf as part of an ongoing attempt by the Iraqi government to force Iranian refugees to leave the camp. Because many there once belonged to the People’s Mujahideen of Iran, there is no third country willing to accept them, and they fear returning home where they might be subjected to torture and executions.
