Updated at 8:59 p.m. EDT, Mar. 24, 2009
A day after a dramatic surge, the number of casualties dropped off precipitously. Only four Iraqis were killed and six more were wounded in the latest reports. Meanwhile, Turkey’s president and the KRG’s prime minister met in Baghdad. No Coalition deaths were reported.
Turkey‘s President Abdullah Gul met Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani in Baghdad to discuss their mutual Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) problem. The PKK launches attacks at Turkish targets from inside northern Iraq. The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) has suggested granting them amnesty to encourage the rebel group’s dissolution. Turkey has rejected that plan. Remarkably, recognizing a leader from the KRG is seen as a great step in ending Turkey’s discrimination against their Kurds and could help reduce the PKK’s support base.
In Mosul, gunmen killed a policeman. A bomb blast near a municipal building wounded two people. A civilian and a servicemember were injured during a pair of overnight bomb blasts. Gunmen stormed a home where they killed a 34-year-old woman.
In Baghdad, three young men were wounded during a blast near a bridge linking Ameriya with Jihad. A bomb in Baladiyat wounded two people. Also, 13 suspects were detained and nine bombs were defused.
A recently released detainee was gunned down in Haditha. He was accused of killing people a year ago, but was released from Bucca prison only a couple days ago. Other recently released detainees have been killed in recent weeks too.
Gunmen shot and killed a retarded man inside his Kirkuk home. Near the airport, a roadside bomb targeting an Awakening Council (Sahwa) patrol left no casualties.
In Hawija, a Sahwa patrol found and safely defused a roadside bomb.
Four suspects were arrested in connection with yesterday’s bombing in Jalawla.
Two suspects were detained and 60 bombs were found in Missan province.
Six al-Qaeda suspects were detained in Buhriz.
Eighteen suspects were detained across Basra during continuing operations. Over 40 mortar shells were discovered as well.
Four Soldiers of Heaven suspects were arrested in Hilla. The group is a messianic cult that believes fighting will hasten the reappearance of the 12th Imam. They have launched bloody attacks in southern Iraq, but the leader was killed during one attack last year.
Thirty-nine suspects were released in Ninewa province after being cleared of all charges.
Compiled by Margaret Griffis
