Updated at 12:25 a.m. EDT, Aug. 4, 2008
At least 36 Iraqis were killed and 63 more were wounded in the latest attacks. One U.S. soldier was killed and other was wounded in a vehicular accident southwest of the capital. In Baghdad, the Iraqi parliament failed to resolve issues surrounding a provincial elections law; a power-sharing scheme and replacement of security forces for multi-ethnic Kirkuk are thwarting what could be a major step for Iraq’s nascent democracy. In other news, athough government figures show casualty figures dropped in July, the Iraq Observatory presented somewhat contradictory findings.
The Iraq Observatory, a Baghdad-based NGO, reported that violent activity actually increased during the month. The differences in the reportings could be attributed to methodology and not an attempt to alter facts. The Observatory also includes arrests in their figures. Due to insurmountable difficulties, no group is able to accurately track all violence in the country. The U.S. military, however, reported its lowest death toll since invading Iraq. The Iraqi government announced a low of 387 civilian deaths, while the Associated Press gave a figure of 510 deaths that includes security personnel as well. The Observatory reported 259 deaths and 3,825 violenct incidents altogether. On the other hand, security is improving, so the government is luring Iraqi doctors back to the country by offering attractive benefits packages.
In Baghdad, a car bomb killed 12 and wounded 24 in Adhamiya. Near al-Kindi Hospital, nine people were wounded in a roadside bomb blast. Another roadside bomb wounded two people in Ghadeer. A fourth bomb injured four people near the Bayaa Bridge. In Ghazaliya, a bomb injured one civilian. A bomb targeting the Babel governor left no casualties during his visit to the capital.
On Saturday, 15 corpses were discovered on a farm in Khan Bani Saad.
Six people were killed and 13 more were wounded during a roadside bomb attack in Latifiyah.
Clashes between Awakening Council members and civilians left one civilian dead and 10 others wounded in Tarmiyah.
In Mosul, clashes left two gunmen dead in the Wadi al-Karama district. Also, five suspects were detained.
Hundreds of young Iraqis were arrested during a campaign in Duluiya. Among the arrested were university professors, government employees and innocent civilians. Others detained were men who belonged to armed groups that had signed peace pacts with local authorities. No casualties were reported although shots rang out during the chaos.
In Nasariya, 48 suspects were detained. A cache of weapons was also confiscated.
Iraqi forces detained an al-Qaeda suspect and three “special groups” members in Balad.
Near Baquba, three al-Qaeda suspects were captured, and eight others turned themselves over to authorities. An ongoing security operation in the unstable province has met little resistance.
U.S. forces picked up 15 suspects across northern and central Iraq. Five suspects were captured south of the capital.
Compiled by Margaret Griffis
