At least nine Iraqis were killed and 29 more were wounded in the latest violence. Meanwhile, U.S. troops held Memorial Day observations at a former Saddam palace located at Camp Victory. Also, thousands of Iraqis, at the behest of Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, protested the Israeli attack on a Gaza-aid flotilla and used the demonstration to chant against the United States as well.
U.S. Admiral Mike Mullen said that the United States remains on track to withdraw 50,000 troops from Iraq in August; however, the political situation will be watched until then. At least two Iraqis were killed and 10 more were wounded in the latest violence, which included an attack on Kurdish rebels launched from Iranian soil.
Updated at 8:50 p.m. EDT, May 27, 2010
At least four Iraqis were killed and 28 more were wounded in the latest attacks. Also, Turkey reported killing another 19 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels in last week’s air assault. Independently confirmed accounts are impossible from this region of Iraq; however, the PKK has admitted so some deaths. Also, one Turkish soldier was killed and four more were wounded in clashes on the Turkish side of the border.
Updated at 8:54 p.m. EDT, May 25, 2010
Gunmen at a Baghdad gold market staged a bold robbery that left over a dozen merchants and bystanders dead. At least 19 Iraqis were killed and 20 more were wounded in that attack and other violence across Baghdad and northern Iraq. Meanwhile, Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin III has been tapped to lead U.S. forces in Iraq.
At least three Iraqis were killed and seven more were wounded in the latest violence. Also, one U.S. soldier was killed while conducting security operations. With the occupation winding down and foreign reporters having gone home, fewer reports manage to get out of the country unless a major story occurs.
Updated at 2:01 p.m. EDT, May 22, 2010
A car bombing in a predominantly Shi’ite city near Baghdad killed and wounded dozens. Overall, at least 56 Iraqis were killed and 158 were wounded across the country. Also, two Iranians held in U.S. detention were freed.
Updated at 8:12 p.m. EDT, May 20, 2010
At least 10 Iraqis were killed and 46 were wounded in a series of small attacks across the country. Meanwhile, the prime minister issued an incendiary statement basically telling the winning party in parliamentary elections to give up on heading the new government. Also, Turkish warplanes launched a two-hour air strike on about 50 suspected PKK rebel locations.
Updated at 5:45 p.m. EDT, May 18, 2010
At least four Iraqis were killed and one child was wounded in light violence. Witnesses also reported that a number of U.S. soldiers were wounded in a roadside bomb blast in Muqdadiya. Meanwhile, Britain’s Iraq war inquiry panel (Chilcot) traveled to the U.S. to investigate the case for the 2003 invasion.
At least five Iraqis were killed and five more were wounded in light violence that focused in Diyala province, where two Sunni imams were killed. Meanwhile, an Iraqi court threw out the disqualifications of nine candidates accused of ties to the Ba’ath Party.
Updated at 12:30 p.m. EDT, May 11, 2010
At least 154 Iraqis were killed and 620 more were wounded in a staggering series of attacks across the country. Some of the attacks likely were coordinated, such as those on checkpoints in Baghdad. Others seemed completely random. Security officials were quick to blame al-Qaeda or foreign nations, but the attacks crossed the sectarian lines, striking Shi’ite, Sunni and Kurd targets. In an unusual switch, the worst attacks occurred south of the capital in Hilla, Suwayra and Basra, where such attacks after tapered off. Conflicting casualty figures often follow such large and wide-ranging attacks.
