Updated at 8:08 p.m. EDT, Oct. 5, 2008
At least 26 Iraqis were killed and 13 more were wounded in the latest round of violence. Reports resumed out of Mosul after several days of relative quiet, but now Baghdad appears unusually peaceful. Meanwhile, a Turkish general accused local authorities in northern Iraq of tolerating Kurdish separatists.
In Mosul, eleven people were killed, including women and children, during a U.S.-led raid on a building. Bullets were exchanged before a suicide bomber detonated his vest. One child was injured. Some witnesses say that they victims were killed by U.S. gunfire after U.S. troops were attacked by the bomber.
Separately, gunmen attacked a butcher’s shop, killing the owner and wounding his son. Clashes left one gunman dead and two policemen wounded. The bodies of three people who were kidnapped yesterday were found. A civilian was shot and killed in a northern neighborhood. Gunmen wounded two policemen. Also, three roadside bombs were detonated, but no casualties were reported. And, one gunman was either killed or captured.
Four people were killed and six more were wounded when gunmen attacked a funeral in Zanjili.
Two policemen were killed during an attack on their station yesterday near Ramadi.
A young Kurdish man was found dead in Kirkuk.
Gunmen in Numaniya killed a civilian.
A man was killed in Khan Bani Saad during an ongoing attack.
Near Basra, a bomb that blasted a convoy carrying Western contractors wounded an Iraqi civilian.
In Baghdad, three suspects were captured.
An al-Qaeda leader was detained in Baquba.
In Anbar, 36 detainees were freed after "proving innocent."
The Interior Ministry gave Diwaniya police permission to hunt wanted suspects outside their normal jurisdiction.
A chief prosecutor of the Jalawla criminal court system has resigned over what he said was interference from the Interior Ministry. Over the last several weeks the central government has sought to increase its authority in Jalawla and other predominantly Kurdish areas of Diyala province. This has led to clashes with local security personnel and accusations of harassment from local leaders. Many Iraqis still fear Interior Ministry personnel as the organization had at one time been was synonymous with sectarian death squads. Although the situation has improved, corruption still appears to be rampant within the ministry. Many in Jalawla would like the Kurdish Peshmerga to continue monitoring security there.
A day after significant clashes, Turkish general Hasan Igsiz accused Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq of tolerating Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels. The rebels allegedly attack Turkish targets from bases in Iraq, while Turkey regularly stages cross-border operations against them. The PKK deny that yesterday’s attack came from inside Iraq and said it was launched from inside Turkey.
The PKK wants an autonomous Kurdish homeland across parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Armenia. Turkey wants Kurdish authorities to declare the PKK rebels terrorists instead and treat them as such. Turkey is limited in what can be done for fear of alienating allies, but five border posts were closed today in response to yesterday’s incidents.
