Updated at 3:15 p.m. EST, Nov. 17, 2008
At least 18 Iraqis were killed and another 45 were wounded in the latest attacks. Another seven people were injured during an explosion blamed on a defective pipeline. No Coalition deaths were reported. Meanwhile, the Iraqi parliament began debate on a U.S.-Iraqi security agreement, raising hope that a vote on the pact will take place on Nov. 24. The agreement will, among other things, allow U.S. troops to remain in Iraq for three more years.
A car bomb wounded 18 people near a joint U.S. and Iraqi forces base in Amara. Amara has mostly been spared significant bombings, but the timing and targets could suggest a possible connection to the debate in Parliament over the security agreement. Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Iranian leaders have come out against the pact.
In Baghdad, five civilians were injured during a bombing in Tayaran Square. A bomb injured two people on a highway. One person was killed and two more were wounded during a bombing in Jamiya. One dumped body was found in Shurta. Also, Coalition forces arrested a wanted suspect, while Iraqi forces detained 10 others. Meanwhile, Iraqi leaders have set aside $3 billion for a new subway.
A U.S. battalion was deployed in Sadr City, where Col. John Hort said that prominent Mahdi Army commanders still direct the violence even though they have left the country; however, he also stressed that the group would not be able to stage large scale fighting in the near future. Few reports leak out to the media from the mostly Shi’ite Baghdad suburb anymore.
In Mosul, one policeman was killed and six people were wounded when a bomb left in a handcart blew-up at a checkpoint. Police killed two gunmen inside a home. A bomb targeting U.S. forces wounded two Iraqi civilians instead. A roadside bomb killed one policeman and wounded three others yesterday in Wadi Hajar, while another bomb injured three more in Borsa. Police liberated a man. Also, an Islamic state in Iraq leader was arrested.
Two people were killed and three more were wounded during a bombing in Mussayab. Another bomb killed one person and wounded a second. Also, a mortar round fell on a residence killing one person inside.
The body of an Awakening Council member (Sahwa) was discovered in Iskandariya.
A body bearing gunshot wounds was found inside a car in Numaniya.
In Kirkuk, a female body was found. At least 17 suspects were detained.
Iraqi forces killed five suspects and arrested 26 others across Iraq.
Also, an explosion that injured seven people in Suleimaniya was blamed on a faulty gas pipeline and not sabotage.
Compiled by Margaret Griffis
