Updated at 11:08 p.m. EDT, Aug. 25, 2007
At least 16 Iraqis were killed and 14 more were wounded in the latest round of violence. One U.S. soldier was killed in a small arms attack in Baghdad. Meanwhile, conflicting reports over a U.S.-Iraqi security pact are streaming out of Iraq, along with an alarming video of a failed teenage suicide bomber.
Although Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki claimed a security deal was finalized with U.S. forces, U.S. authorities say that only a draft agreement has been reached. Al-Maliki is insisting on a 2011 deadline for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops. Also, Iraqi police released a disturbing video interrogation of a 15-year-old girl who had been caught with a suicide vest.
From Diyala province comes another report of detainee releases. Authorities released 86 men who were captured during a security operation but subsequently cleared of any crimes. As many as 214 of the detainees, and no less than 128, have so far been released from custody. At least 460 suspects were captured during the operation, with another 1300 surrendering themselves to authorities. The operation was highly criticized for giving actual militants advanced warning of the mission. Meanwhile, residents of Khanaqin staged a massive demonstration against the operation. They claim political motivations are behind it.
In Baghdad, two dumped bodies were discovered. An attached car bomb wounded three family members in Jamiya. In Adhamiya, a bomb on a minibus injured the driver. A roadside bomb in Mansour injured a police officer. In Adil, a bomb injured one person. Two Iraqi soldiers were killed and a third one was wounded during a small arms attack. The Iraqi army killed six suspects and detained 48 more. Mortar shells struck the Green Zone, but no casualties were reported. Shelling set a petrol station aflame in Ghazaliyah.
In Mosul, gunmen in eastern Mosul killed a guard working for the Mosul University dean. A policeman was shot and killed in the al-Majmoua al-Thaqafiya area. In western Mosul, the body of a university professor was discovered. Also, an engineer was reported kidnapped.
Six guards were wounded in Tikrit during a roadside bombing that target a motorcade carrying the provincial police chief.
A roadside bomb killed two people in Shurqat.
In Mussayab, a bomb planted near the home of a lieutenant colonel of the government facilities guard force killed his daughter and wounded two sons.
Five people were injured when they came across a roadside bomb in Tal Afar.
Three men were detained on murder charges in Basra.
Two suspects were arrested in Wassit province.
Five suspects were captured in Kirkuk. Meanwhile, Arabs and Turkmen called for the dismissal of the United Nations special representative to Iraq. They claim he is too biased towards the Kurds.
Coalition forces captured nine al-Qaeda suspects across Iraq.
Compiled by Margaret Griffis
