The relative calm of the last several days was broken this morning when a series of obviously coordinated attacks took place across Iraq. The targets were varied today. Security personnel, Shi’ite pilgrims and civilians were all among the casualties. At least 41 Iraqis were killed and 143 more were wounded. Seven Iranians were also injured in one of the attacks south of Baghdad. A Shi’ite lawmaker, Hakim al-Zamili, who is also on parliament’s defense and security committee, said the coordinated attacks meant that al-Qaeda in Iraq is still in business.
In Baghdad, a car bomb in the Karrada district killed two people and wounded eight more; a second bomb exploded killing three and wounding 12 of the people who gathered after the first bomb, including an A.P. photographer. A suicide bomber killed one person and wounded seven more in Shula. In Amil, a gunman killed a policeman; a blast targeting first responders to the shooting left three dead and four wounded. Two policemen were killed and three more were wounded during a bombing in central Baghdad. A police colonel was wounded in a shooting in Mansour.
As many as four consecutive bomb blasts in Taji killed eight people and wounded 28 more near police checkpoints. Although the town is heavily Sunni, the bombings may have occurred near Shi’ite homes.
Six people were killed and ten more were wounded in a Kut bombing.
A bomb targeting a bus near a Shi’ite shrine in Madaen killed three Iraqis and wounded three more; the blast also wounded seven Iranian pilgrims.
In Tarmiya, a bomb killed two soldiers and wounded six others, including civilians. Two people were wounded in a separate bombing.
A car bomb targeting a police convoy in Baquba killed two and wounded seven more. Five people were wounded north of the city in a blast also targeting security officials.
Two people were killed and seven more were wounded in a bombing in Balad Ruz.
A car bomb in Khan Bani Saad killed one person and wounded nine more at a market.
A bomb killed a girl and wounded six others in Falluja.
One policeman was killed and another was wounded as they tried to defuse a bomb near Suleiman Pak.
One soldier was killed and three more were wounded when a bomb exploded on a road near Khalis.
In Mosul, gunmen killed a waterworks employee. A bomb targeting soldiers wounding 15 of them. Four policemen were wounded in a second bombing. Gunmen wounded a municipal councilman. Security forces liberated two girls who were kidnapped on Wednesday. A car bomb targeting the military court president left no casualties.
Two people were wounded in a blast in Hilla.
Security forces dismantled eight more bombs north of Baghdad.
Two car bombings were foiled in Diwaniya.
