At least 12 Iraqis were killed and 14 more were wounded in new attacks. The violence targeted security personnel. Meanwhile, Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi gave an interview to C.N.N. in which he reiterated his innocence.
In a C.N.N. interview, Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi expressed concern that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is pushing Iraq towards widespread sectarian violence. He also chastised U.S President Barack Obama for calling Iraqi stable and democratic when Maliki is consolidating power. Hashemi was speaking in Kurdistan where he fled after Maliki accused him of ties to terrorism. The vice president insists that he is the target of a political vendetta.
In Baquba, a bomb killed three soldiers and wounded three others. A second bomb left no casualties, but when first responders arrived a third bomb exploded. That blast killed a policeman and wounded three bystanders. A roadside bomb targeting a patrol wounded one soldier.
In Mosul, a father and son were killed during a drive-by shooting. A clash left one suspect dead and one soldier wounded. Gunmen killed a government worker.
A sticky bomb killed an army officer and wounded two soldiers in Tikrit.
Police followed a suspect into a girl’s school in Basra. A policeman and the suspect were killed, while a second policeman was wounded.
A Sahwa member was wounded during an attack on his Shirqat checkpoint.
A bomb wounded a family member at the Wajihiya home of a police official.
A clash between smugglers and soldiers took place at the Syrian border near Rabeaa. One smuggler was killed and one soldier was wounded.
In Haditha, two suicide bombers were apprehended before they could detonate their explosives.
