Updated at 7:24 p.m. EDT, Aug. 6, 2008
The Iraqi parliament officially closed a special session and went on summer break today. Meanwhile, a second report in a British newspaper raises concerns about the relationship between British troops and the Maliki government. At least 27 Iraqis were killed and another 22 were wounded in the latest round of violence. Many of the dead were found in a mass grave in Diyala. Also, one U.S. soldier was killed in a non-combat incident.
Unable to settle issues surrounding a provincial elections law, the Iraqi parliament adjourned until next month. The law would have allowed elections to take place this year, but Kurdish opposition forced President Talabani to veto the law. When they return from summer break, the politicians will face a number of important issues as well as the election law.
The Times reported that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki rejected British plans to implement their own troop surge in Basra. Instead, he sent Iraqi troops into the southern port city the next day. Many observers noted that operation seemed to target followers of Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr only, and al-Sadr’s spokespeople said it was an attempt to undermine their power ahead of elections. American troops had to be called in, but the fighting spread throughout the southern provinces and Baghdad. Hundreds were killed and wounded before al-Maliki and al-Sadr brokered a truce.
In Mosul, a suicide bomber killed three people and wounded 14 more in the Dawasa neighborhood. Two bodies were found. A female suspected of having ties to al-Qaeda was detained.
In Baghdad, a bomb in Karrada injured two policemen. Later in Karrada, another bomb injured four people, including two civilians and two security personnel, and a dumped body was found separately. In Sleikh, an Awakening Council checkpoint was attacked; three members were killed and two more were wounded.
A mass grave containing sixteen bodies was discovered near Baquba.
An ongoing security operation in Diyala province has netted a total of 483 suspects. Gunmen have been given seven days to lay down arms without repercussion.
Twenty-three suspects were detained across Babel province.
Weapons were found in Amara.
Four suspects were detained in Missan.
In al-Muwafaqiya today, a roadside bomb killed one man.
Compiled by Margaret Griffis
