Updated at 2:53 p.m. EST, Nov. 4, 2008
A spate of bombings greeted Baghdadis today as U.S. soldiers there await results in the U.S. presidential election. Overall, at least 36 Iraqis were killed and another 69 were wounded across the country, but the lion’s share of injuries was reported in the capital. No Coalition deaths were reported, but many soldiers celebrated election day by becoming U.S. citizens. Also, a Sunni politician suggested letting the public vote on a controversial U.S.-Iraqi security pact.
In Baghdad, 11 people were killed and 21 more were wounded when a bomb was detonated in a Mashtal neighborhood garage. A bomb targeting a convoy carrying Ahmed al-Barak killed one person and wounded nine more in Karrada; Barak, who was a member of the interim Iraqi Governing Council that was set up following the 2003 invasion and is now a committee leader, was not injured. A second bomb in the Karrada district killed one person and wounded five more, while a third bomb killed a police chief and wounded two of his children. In Ghadir, gunmen killed a policeman and wounded three others. A bomb at a Qahira marketplace killed four and wounded ten more. Gunmen killed an army officer on Qanat Street. No casualties were reported after a bombing in Andalus Square.
Gunmen in Sadr City killed one bystander and wounded three others during a shootout with police near memorial festivities.
In Mosul, five civilians were wounded in a bombing in a northern neighborhood. A suicide bomber injured four policemen in the Mansour neighborhood. Gunmen killed a man and wounded his two brothers in Tahrir. An off-duty policeman was injured during a small arms attack, while another was shot dead. Two civilians were killed in separate drive-by shootings. A roadside bomb in Qadisiyah killed one civilian and wounded a second one. A roadside bomb wounded an Iraqi soldier. Twenty wanted suspects were captured. Also, two dumped bodies were found.
A woman and two children were killed when mortars struck their home in Madaen.
Two Iraqi civilians were killed and two more were wounded in Tikrit during a traffic accident involving U.S. military vehicles. A Hummer struck the victims as they were hanging a commercial sign.
Two bodies were found in al-Sehaji.
A suspected “special groups” leader was arrested near Hilla. “Special groups” refers to Iran supported militia.
A curfew was briefly enforced in Tal Afar while police looked for a car bomb.
In Kirkuk, a bomb near a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) office left no casualties. Six missile launching pads were dismantled.
Four wanted suspects were captured in Biaaj.
Thirty suspects were detained north of Baquba in Adhaim.
In Basra, four suspects were arrested.
A suspect was arrested in connection with yesterday’s bombing in Baquba.
Compiled by Margaret Griffis
