Updated at 7:05 p.m. EDT, Sept. 5, 2008
It is the prayer day, so the number of reported casualties is lower than normal. At least seven Iraqis were killed, including a defense ministry advisor, and 17 more people were wounded. One American soldier died in a non-combat incident. Meanwhile, the fates of an Iranian refugee camp and a Kurdish city, both in Diyala, are among several major concerns that were in the headlines today.
More than 3,000 exiled Iranians in Ashraf Camp could face extradition or worse depending on what happens during negotiations between U.S. authorities and the Iraqi government. Many belong to Iranian resistance groups, and Shi’ite Iraqi officials do not want them in the country. The former regime had allowed them refugee status for the last two decades.
Although it seemed that the Khanaqin crisis had been resolved, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has called for a new meeting on the situation. Other issues between the Kurdish officials and the central government also need to be discussed.
Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi stated that Iraqi does not need a security agreement with the U.S. in order to maintain sovereignty. Separately, a government spokesman says that the fate of Iraqi detainees in U.S. jails has stalled finalizing the security agreement. U.S. General David Petraeus said that al-Qaeda is still a dangerous presence in Iraq. Meanwhile, the Iraqi government is up in arms over a report that the U.S. spied on Iraqi officials.
Following Friday prayers in Sadr City, thousands of Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s followers peacefully demonstrated against U.S. presence in Iraq. The cleric had asked them to do so as a show of force during Ramadan.
In Baghdad, a roadside bomb targeting former Iraqi deputy prime minister Ahmad Chalabi killed two people and wounded 17 others in Mansour. A defense ministry advisor was gunned down in Zayouna. Two dumped bodies were discovered. Also, two roadside bombs were safely detonated by security forces.
A policeman has died of wounds received during a home invasion last Sunday in Kut.
Gunmen killed a Kurdish security patrolman in Tuz Khormato.
In Mosul, a roadside bomb left no casualties.
Two men were kidnapped south of Kirkuk.
The central government is sending planes and buses to Jordan to pick up over 500 Iraqis who sought refuge there.
Compiled by Margaret Griffis
