As provincial elections draw nearer, attacks on political candidates grow deadlier. At a rally in Baquba, dozens of people were killed or wounded today. Overall, at least 30 people were killed and 65 more were wounded.
A suicide bomber killed at least 22 people at a political rally for a Sunni candidate in Baquba. Muthana al-Jourani was holding a luncheon attended by hundreds of supporters at the time of the attack. About 55 people were wounded, including al-Jourani and three other political candidates. In separate attacks, gunmen killed a policeman and government official.
In Samarra, a bomb killed three policemen and wounded three civilians, including a teenage boy.
In Shirqat, a policeman and his brother were wounded when two bombs exploded. A gunman was killed and a policeman was wounded when the bomb the gunman was allegedly planting exploded.
In Mosul, two soldiers were wounded in a clash at their checkpoint. A civilian was shot dead.
An I.E.D. wounded a policeman in Falluja.
A bomb in Garma wounded a policeman.
