Iraqi troops announced the clearance of Islamic State militants from 360 villages in the Hawija area. The maneuvers allowed for the reopening of a highway between Kirkuk and Tikrit. Operations in Diyala province are ongoing.
Belgian Defense Minister Steven Vandeput is complaining about being kept from visiting troops in Kurdistan and has asked Belgium to respond to Baghdad diplomatically.
Iraq has deployed security forces to Tuz Khormato to restore order.
At least 19 people were killed, and 22 more were wounded in recent violence:
In Baghdad, a suicide motorcycle bomber in Aden Square killed eight people and wounded up to 18 more. The head of the provincial council said his convoy was the target of the bombing.
One person was killed and three were wounded when a bomb exploded in a commercial district in Husseiniyat al-Rashidiya.
A bomb at a market in Yusufiya killed one person and wounded another.
No casualties were reported after a bomb was hurled at a Turkmen Front headquarters in Kirkuk. An attack on the home of a Reuters photojournalist also left no casualties.
Four militants were killed in the Makhoul Mountains.
Security forces killed three militants in Masjih.
In Abbasi, a suicide bomber killed himself.
