At least 41 people were killed and 63 more were wounded today. Meanwhile, Iraq forces flew into Syria to conduct an air strike. Also, more details about a failed militant takeover in Diyala last month were revealed.
The Iraqi government claims to have sent military helicopters to Syria, where they launched an air strike against a convoy allegedly carrying arms to militants in Anbar. Eight drivers were killed near Abu Kamal in Syria.
This is in the same area where U.S. Special Forces conducted a controversial air raid in 2008. As Abu Kamal is just on the other side of the border from Qaim and Anbar province, it has long been suspected that it is a on a supply route for militants in Iraq. However, not all the insurgents in Syria support the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS), so it is unclear who would be shipping the arms through there. ISIS is known as “Dulat al-Islam fi al-Iraq wal-Sham" (DAASH) to the Iraqis.
In Anbar:
A bomb in Falluja killed four civilians and wounded eight more.
Four soldiers were killed and four more were wounded in a car bombing in Ramadi. A suicide bomber killed two policemen and wounded six more. A sniper wounded a commander.
Four militants were killed during an operation.
Elsewhere:
More details about a failed militant takeover in Buhriz were revealed. Although facts are still sketchy a month later, what has come to light now is that Iraqi forces and Shi’ite militiamen arrived to conduct house-to-house searches the next day. During these searches, plain-clothed men took some locals and executed them on the spot after declaring that they were Sunni militants. Clashes still continue in the area.
The Shi’ite militants were likely from either Asaib Ahl al-Haq or Kata’ib Hezbollah. Friday’s stadium massacre in Baghdad was during an Asaib Ahl al-Haq political rally. Both militias are supported by Iran and were once on U.S. blacklists. They are part of an umbrella group referred to confusingly by the Maliki government at "Sons of Iraq". That name was formerly reserved for Sunni militants who were working against al-Qaeda.
In Sadr City, a suicide bomber at a restaurant killed 10 people and wounded 36 more.
A bomb in Mosul killed two soldiers and wounded two more.
Gunmen killed a judge in Qayara.
A judge died of injuries sustained in an attack two days ago in Zab.
An attack on an army commander in Ein al-Gahash left two bodyguards with injuries.
A bomb in Arab Jabour wounded two civilians.
A gunman was wounded during an attack on Kirkuk polling station; he was arrested. A soldier was wounded in this or a separate attack.
Eight ISIS/DAASH militants were killed in Hawija.
Security forces killed two gunmen in Iskandariya.
In Baghdad, an al-Qaeda official was killed.
