At least 10 Iraqis were killed and 47 more were wounded as Christians and other Iraqis celebrated Christmas as a national holiday for the first time. One U.S. soldier was killed by indirect fire near Mosul.
For the first time, the Iraqi government declared Christmas an official holiday for the country. Although Christians only number in the thousands and live mostly in northern cities, the declaration was seen as a gesture of cooperation. This year was especially difficult for Christians, who suffered an uptick in attacks in and around Mosul.
In Baghdad, four people were killed and 25 more were wounded during a car bombing at a restaurant in Shula. Five policemen were wounded when a roadside bomb targeting a police chief exploded in Jisr Diyala.
Three people were killed and 14 were wounded during a suicide bombing in Muqdadiyah.
Gunmen stormed a home in Bishkan where they killed a 13-year-old girl and wounded a toddler.
In Mosul, two people were wounded when a bomb was detonated near an army headquarters.
Gunmen attacked a car carrying a Fadhila Party candidate in Basra. He survived the attack, but his brother-in-law was killed. Almost 15,000 candidates are running for office in next month’s provincial elections, giving gunmen a new set of targets to attack.
A bomb blasted pipelines carrying oil near By Hassan. One pipeline was set on fire while the other was damaged. They should be back online in a few days. Export pipelines were not involved and no casualties were reported.
Compiled by Margaret Griffis
