Even as the Independent Election Commission of Iraq is conducting a ballot recount in Baghdad, they are also preparing to deliver final vote tallies to the Supreme Court for ratification. Meanwhile, at least three Iraqis were killed and six more were wounded in unusually light violence. Also, the U.S. embassy has hired attorneys for indigent Iraqis held in prison; however, Iraqi detainees held by U.S. forces should have long ago been handed over to the Iraqis.
In the latest violence, at least 14 Iraqis were killed and 24 more were wounded. Turkish warplanes chasing Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels across the border bombed suspected hideouts in northern Iraq, after an attack that left two soldiers dead in Turkey; rebels denied any loses on their side. Mea
Updated at 12:27 p.m. EDT, May 2, 2010
At least three Iraqis were killed and about 103 were injured in attacks in northern Iraq. The most significant attack targeted Christians in the Mosul area. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Maliki’s office has been accused of making death threats against a rival political party’s spokesman.
Update at 4:50 p.m. EDT, April 28, 2010
At least seven Iraqis were killed and 31 more were wounded in several Baghdad attacks, and a roadside bomb blast killed a U.S. soldier in Diyala province. Meanwhile, several Christian groups have asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to encourage Iraqi authorities to protect Christians in Iraq. Also, Human Rights Watch released a report on a secret prison where Sunni detainees were tortured, raped and illegally detained.
Updated at 10:35 p.m. EDT, April, 27, 2010
At least 12 Iraqis were killed and 22 more were wounded in new attacks, but today’s measure of the situation in Iraq was best underscored by the prime minister personally ordering the release of hundreds of innocent detainees. Over the years, tens of thousands of Iraqis have been rounded up en masse and then released for lack of evidence. Over 100 new arrests across the country were reported today alone.
The formation of the new government was thrown into disarray as an Iraqi court began to disqualify candidates who ran in last month’s parliamentary elections. At least seven Iraqis were killed and 17 were wounded in new violence.
At least four Iraqis were killed and 34 people were wounded in today’s incidents. Two Indian nationals were killed in a blast in Arbil as well. Also, the Islamic State of Iraq confirmed two militants killed last week were Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, but reports that Saddam’s vice president, Izzat al-Douri, was killed or captured were premature.
Attacks tapered off today, but at least eight Iraqis were killed and 21 more wounded in new violence. Also, a U.S. Dept. of Defense employee of unknown nationality died of unreported causes. Meanwhile, an offer to restart the Mahdi Army was turned down by Iraqi officials, but rogue elements could be operating within the official security forces.
Updated at 8:30 p.m. EDT, April 23, 2010
At least 13 bombs were detonated near Shi’ite targets in Baghdad and Sadr City today, while a Sunni town in Anbar province was the focus of another series of blasts. Overall, at least 75 Iraqis were killed and 303 more were wounded across the country. One U.S. soldier died from non-combat injuries. The attacks came just days after several prominent arrests and killings of militants possibly damaged the al-Qaeda network in Iraq. Last night, Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad Bolani asked remaining al-Qaeda members turn themselves in. The blasts could be in retaliation. Also, a second Navy SEAL has been cleared of wrongdoing in an alleged abuse case.
Two unidentified bodies found today in Baghdad frighteningly harkened back to the height of sectarian killings, but it was in Baquba and Ramadi where violence was focused today. At least seven Iraqis were killed and 49 more were wounded in a string of attacks across the country. Meanwhile, the court-martial of a Navy SEAL accused of not protecting a detainee has opened at a base outside Baghdad. Also, ballot recounting is now expected to begin next week.
