The Iraqi Parliament postponed selecting a new government until next month, despite ongoing fighting across the northern half of the country. At least 159 were killed and 90 more were wounded.
Politics:
Despite internal, regional and international appeals to quickly form a new government, lawmakers essentially gave up and postponed selecting a new government until next month. This extends Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki‘s term through at least the middle of August and likely drives the country further towards break-up.
Sheik Qais al-Khazali, leader of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, apologized for the deaths of four U.K. bodyguards killed after a kidnapping in 2007. He added, however, that the United Kingdom was not negotiating seriously. The mother of one of the bodyguards says she believes her son was treated like a second-class citizen by the U.K. government and not enough was done to save him. The man they were guarding, Peter Moore, was eventually freed in 2009.
The Ministry of Peshmerga warned the Iraqi government that it will retaliate should there be more airstrikes against Kurdish targets. It also called for an investigation of an air strike that killed a 12-year-old girl yesterday.
The United States believes that the Islamic State has slowed down in its takeover of Iraq because of quarreling with Sunni rebels it thought was its allies.
Fighting:
Villagers upset with militants trying to seize their vehicles drove the militants out of al-Zuiyah and al-Meshag. The militants returned with reinforcements but were not able to re-take the villages. Other Sunni militants helped the villagers fight off the attack. At least three defenders were killed and 10 more were wounded. The militants suffered greater losses. Thirteen of them were killed and 35 more were wounded.
In Baghdad, a suicide bomber killed eight people and wounded 16 more at a Kadhimiya checkpoint. A second bomb in the same district wounded two civilians. Two people were wounded in a blast at the Habaiynba Restaurant. A bomb in Yusufiya wounded three. A sticky bomb killed one civilian and wounded another in Doura. A dumped body was found. Also, Baghdad Operations Command said 60 militants were killed and 12 were injured in the last week.
A senior Iraqi army commander was killed during a mortar barrage in the Ibrahim bin Ali area, between Baghdad and Garma. At least three others were killed and seven were wounded in a second attack.
Militants killed four civilians in Adhaim.
In Saidiya, gunmen killed a tribal leader and wounded two sons. Two militants were killed in a blast.
Two security personnel and two militants were killed during clashes in the Himreen Mountains.
A Sahwa member was shot dead in Muqdadiya.
A civilian was shot dead after being kidnapped in Tikrit. Militants may have captured over 50 volunteers of the security forces.
In Ishaqi, four policemen were killed during a clash. Security forces killed 25 militants.
Twenty militants were killed as they tried to plant bombs in a government building in Mosul.
Peshmerga forces killed four IS militants in Jalawla. They also killed two Naqshabandiya militants.
Clashes broke out near Ramadi.
Syrian airplanes bombed locations around al-Waleed.
