Updated at 11:40 p.m. EDT, May 24, 2009
At least 24 Iraqis were killed and 39 were wounded, mostly in Mosul where a suicide bomber stuck in the al-Duwasa neighborhood. Casualty numbers could rise, as American figures have not yet been reported for this incident. No other Coalition attacks were reported.
Human Rights Watch warned that torture is commonplace in Iraqi jails, including those in the Kurdish Autonomous Region. The statement was released only a day after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he wanted to amend an amnesty law that freed too many Sunni “terrorists,” and days after the Shi’ite-led central government tried to reassure the Sunnis that they are not being unfarily targeted. If the Sunni concerns are not addressed adequately, sectarian violence could flare up again. Separately, Iraq’s minister of national security, Sherwan al-Waeli, asserted that Iraq is now 90% secure despite a recent surge in attacks.
About 3,500 Iraqis who fled to Iran during the 1980’s war with Iran were asked to return. They will be given new citizenship documents. Those who are poverty stricken, war-widows and the like, will be cared for.
In Mosul, a suicide bomber targeting a U.S. patrol killed eight people and wounded 26 more; American casualties were not reported. Two Iraqi soldiers were killed and six more were wounded when a roadside bomb blasted them in Zahraa. Gunmen stormed a home, where they killed a woman and her daughter. A Kurdish woman was shot to death at her home. Two police commandos were shot to death at their home, while a university professor was shot to death near his home. Four bodies were found. Also, TNT was discovered under a bridge.
In Fallujah, mortars landed on a home, killing an infant and wounding three family members. A man an woman were ambushed while driving.
In Baghdad, a roadside bomb in Adhamiya wounded three people including a policeman.
Gunmen attacked a checkpoint in Iskandariya where they shot and wounded an Awakening Council member.
A wide scale security operation across Dhi Qar province netted 53 suspects.
Nine suspects were arrested across Missan province.
Twenty-one suspects were detained across Basra province, and 52 vehicles were confiscated.
Three bombs were found in Suwayra.
