Updated at 7:27 p.m. EDT, Sept. 2, 2008
At least 20 Iraqis were killed and 43 more were wounded in a number of bombings carried out in Baghdad and Mosul. A U.S. soldier died in a non-combat related incident. Also, tensions between the central government and Kurdish Peshmerga are increasing in Diyala and spreading to Mosul.
Iraqi forces took over school buildings in Jalawla to set them up as military barracks. Jalawla is near Khanaqin, which is the seat of the area’s local government and where Peshmerga troops have resisted ousting by Iraqi troops. Meanwhile, a parliamentarian from Ninewa province accused the Peshmerga of trying to “Kurdize” Mosul. The Peshmerga are former Kurdish militia members and are now in charge of security in Kurdish areas. Both Mosul and Khanaqin are heavily populated by Kurdish Iraqis, but neither comes under the authority of the Kurdish Autonomous region.
In Baghdad, a roadside bombing in Nahda killed two people and wounded 13 others, including three policemen. Two people were killed and 10 others were wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Harthiya. Gunmen attacked the Sunni Endowment office in Adhamiya, killing one guard and injuring two civilians. A campaign to remove squatters from the home of displaced Baghdadis was implemented. Also the Iraqi government is compensating residents of Sadr City and Shu’ala for family members killed or injured during rioting last March and April, when Mahdi Army members felt they were being unfairly targeted by the Maliki government. Hundreds were killed before the government and Mahdi leaders agreed to a truce.
In Mosul, seven people were killed and seven others were wounded during a suicide car bombing at an army checkpoint. Children were among the victims. A second bomb killed an Iraqi soldier and wounded three others. An Iraqi soldier was shot dead. Also, two roadside bombs were successfully defused.
A nine-year-old boy was killed, while his father and brother were injured during a roadside bombing in Kirkuk. A weapons cache was found north of the city. The deputy governor survived an assassination attempt.
A roadside bombing that was reported yesterday in Tarmiyah was actually a suicide bombing carried out by a teenager. In the newest reports, six more people were wounded and one person was killed.
Two bodies were found in the Tigris River at Suwayra. One victim was wearing an Iraqi army uniform. They both were shot and handcuffed.
A family of four was kidnapped in Abu Saida.
Karbala police freed a female kidnap victim.
U.S. forces detained 16 suspects across northern and central Iraq. Four more were captured in Baghdad.
Compiled by Margaret Griffis
