Updated at 11:29 p.m. EDT, June 22, 2008
At least 46 Iraqis were killed and another 79 were wounded in the latest attack. A female suicide bomber attacked a government center in Baquba at the end of the work day, leaving behind dozens of casualties. No Coalition deaths were reported.
A female suicide bomber blew herself up outside the Baquba governmental center, killing 17 people and wounding 42 others. A number of policemen were among the casualties The explosion occurred as the courthouse was winding down proceedings for the day. In an unrelated incident, three gunmen were detained in connection with the kidnapping and murder of three family members this week.
Mortars in Khalis killed seven people and wounded 12 more.
In Baghdad, three dumped bodies were recovered. U.S. forces killed six suspects and wounded another in several incidents on Friday; they had been observed trying to plant roadside bombs in various locations around the New Baghdad neighborhood.
A roadside bomb near Kirkuk killed three and wounded two more. Two women were among the dead. Another bomb, this one in al-Wasiti, left no casualties. In nearby Fashka village, a roadside bomb killed four people and wounded two others.
In Mosul, one policeman was killed and another was wounded in a drive-by shooting. Seventeen people were wounded during a suicide car bombing at a checkpoint in Wihda.
A roadside bomb killed three Iraqi soldiers near Muqdadiyah.
A bomb hidden in a bag injured two people at a market in Hilla.
Near Buhriz, five shepherds were kidnapped.
The Iraqi army detained 65 suspects in Dhi Qar province.
Three Iraqis and an Egyptian were detained in connection with the assassination of a tribal leader in Awja.
Five wanted men and a cache of ammo were seized in Basra.
Three suspects carrying attack plans were captured as they were trying to sneak in Karbala.
In Amara, Iraqi security forces conducted a second search of several areas in the city. Sixteen people were detained. More weapons were also found.
Sixty suspects were arrested in other areas of southern Iraq.
Also, Iraqi courts have ordered that 20,000 detainees be freed. This includes people convicted of petty crimes but does not potentially innocent inmates held in Coalition prisons. Amnesty laws have been a point of contention between Sunni Arabs, who feel they have been unjustly targeted, and the Shi’ite majority government. Tens of thousands more out on bail or otherwise accused of crimes have had their warrants dropped as well.
Squatters in Baghdad have been given a deadline to leave occupied homes so that their owners may return home to claim them. They will be forcibly evicted after the deadline. Between four and five million Iraqis are thought to have left the country or been internally displaced due to sectarian attacks, the U.S. invasion, or other violence.
Compiled by Margaret Griffis
