Iranian General Iraj Masjedi has been appointed as the Iranian ambassador to Iraq. Masjedi previously was an adviser to Qasem Soleimani, who is the head of the Quds Force, the branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards that operates in foreign territories. The Quds Force is highly active in Iraq.
The U.S. State Department approved the sale military equipment to Iraq for Peshmerga brigades. The sale, if completed, will cost Iraq $295 million.
Near Qayara, a number of bodies have been washing up along the Tigris River. The victims were bound and blindfolded before being executed. The timing of the appearance of the bodies suggests that their deaths took place after the Islamic State militants were chased out of the area. Because the identities of the victims are not yet known, it is unclear if these are revenge killings or something else.
At least 17 were killed and 24 were wounded, not including bodies found in Qayara:
In Mosul, a civilian was killed and four more were wounded when mortars fell on Jazair; a bombing at the same location left three more wounded. Shelling on Hawi al-Kanisah wounded six people. A missile seriously wounded two children near a primary school. An airstrike left a militant official dead. Security forces killed five militants in the Old City. Four more civilians were reported dead after yesterday’s car bombing in Thawra, bringing the total to 20 killed.
Gunmen killed a soldier and wounded another at a checkpoint in Bazayez.
In Baghdad, one person was killed and three were wounded in a blast in Shoala. A bomb wounded three policemen.
Two soldiers were wounded during an attack on their Abu Ghraib checkpoint.
Militiamen in Sheikh Ali village killed four militants.
