Reports of violence were scant today, possibly because Hajj observances begin tomorrow in Mecca. Only two Iraqis were killed and one more was wounded. Also, gunmen, reportedly using a thermal bomb, killed a U.S. soldier in Kirkuk yesterday. He is the first servicemember to die in combat since President Obama, on Oct. 21, said the White House had given up on negotiations to keep troops in Iraq past a Dec. 31 deadline. Another attack on U.S. troops today left no casualties.
Updated at 5:21 p.m. EDT, Nov. 3, 2011
For a second day in a row, bombers were successful in amassing a large number of casualties in a single coordinated attack. Today’s main blasts occurred at a military base near Baquba. Overall, at least 18 Iraqis were killed and 56 more were wounded in this attack and other violence. Meanwhile, U.S. officials are angling to keep a high-profile detainee in their custody.
At least 16 Iraqis were killed and 64 more were wounded today, most of them during a rare bombing in Basra.
Salah ad Din province is moving ahead with its request for autonomous region status despite a negative reaction from the Iraqi premier. Diyala province may not be far behind. Also, at least five Iraqis were killed and five more were wounded in the latest violence.
At least seven Iraqis were killed and 15 more were wounded in new violence.
At least 16 Iraqis were killed and 14 more were wounded in new violence, most of it small arms attacks. Meanwhile, a conference that aims to have Basra province formally declared a semi-autonomous region is underway. Although the area is oil-rich, much of the population is poor; it’s believed that semi-autonomy could turn the region into an economic powerhouse like Iraqi Kurdistan.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki lauded the mass arrests of suspected Ba’ath Party members, while downplaying obvious criticisms of the operation. Meanwhile, insurgents killed nine Iraqis and wounded 17 more in attacks.. Across, the border in a Kurdish area of Turkey, a female suicide bomber killed three people and wounded twenty others.
At least nine Iraqis were killed and two more were wounded in just three reported attacks, none of them in Baghdad. Over 100 were killed or injured in a spate of attacks in the capital just yesterday.
Updated at 5:09 p.m. EDT, Oct. 28, 2010
As one northern province complained of Baghdad’s overeach by symbolically declaring its autonomy, insurgents used deadlier means to send a signal to the Iraqi government. At least 46 Iraqis were killed and 106 more were wounded in attacks that occurred mostly in the capital.
Today’s violence appeared to focus mainly on Iraqi police forces. The attacks came just a day after a controversial crackdown on alleged supporters of the now outlawed Ba’ath Party. A second mass arrest, of Arabs in predominantly Kurdish Kirkuk, is also drawing fire from critics. It is not clear if any of the attacks are related to the arrests. At least 13 Iraqis were killed and 37 more were wounded.
