Updated at 11:53 p.m. EST, March 2, 2008
The U.S. military reported killing a Saudi national believed to be a leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Meanwhile, Sunnis held demonstrations against the President Ahmadinejad’s visit as Shi’ites welcomed the Iranian leader. In the latest violence, 33 Iraqis were killed and 41 more were wounded. No Coalition deaths were reported.
A wanted leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq and his companion were killed during a precision U.S. air strike in Mosul on Wednesday; both men were of Saudi origin. The deaths of five U.S. soldiers in January are believed among Abu Yasir al-Saudi’s attacks. In a separate incident, U.S. forces shooting at a car bomb wounded three civilians.
Near Tal Afar, 13 gunmen and two policemen were killed, and eight gunmen and four policemen were wounded during clashes. Two gunmen were arrested in a separate incident as well.
Six people were killed and four more were wounded during a roadside bombing east of Baquba in Wajihiya.
A roadside bombing in Samarra killed four people and wounded nine others; among the dead were a policeman, his wife, and their child. Meanwhile, U.S. forces apologized for killing an Iraqi teenager, who was digging for roots, during an air strike on Friday.
In Baghdad, three unidentified bodies were found. A roadside bomb explosion left one Iraqi soldier dead and two others wounded in the Zayouna neighborhood yesterday. Two people were wounded in a roadside bomb attack in eastern Baghdad. In Zafaraniyah, a roadside bomb blast injured one civilian. Shelling in Khadhraa wounded eight people at a blacksmith’s shop.
A gunman was killed during a security raid in Kirkuk.
In Buhriz, a roadside bomb blast killed a policeman.
Gunmen killed a civilian in Baquba.
In Fallujah, residents held a peaceful demonstration protesting Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s visit to Baghdad. Fallujah is considered a mostly Sunni city. Many believe that Iran is backing Shi’ite militias which have killed thousands of Sunnis.
Compiled by Margaret Griffis
