Updated at 8:10 p.m. EST, Nov. 26, 2009
On the eve of Eid al-Adha, at least nine Iraqis were killed and 54 more wounded. The holiday, which commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, is set to begin Friday for Sunnis and Saturday for Shi’ites.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki warned that the elections law dispute is a threat to national security and criticized Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi for vetoing the bill.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair admonished Iraq leaders for not upholding press freedoms. A journalist working for the Guardian newspaper was fined after reporting that members of the Iraqi national intelligence service were complaining about Maliki increasing authoritarianism. The Iraqi prime minister claimed that the intelligence service instigated the defamation suit. Not only is Iraq dangerous for journalists to work in, the government has instituted many requirements that further restrict reporters.
At a British inquiry, former British Ambassador Christopher Meyer said Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tried to find a connection between the Sept. 11 attacks and Saddam Hussein just hours after attacks took place.
In the U.S., defense lawyers working for five Blackwater security guards accused of killing 17 Iraqis in a controversial shootout alleged misconduct on the part of Justice Department prosecutors.
Three people were killed and at leat 39 others were wounded when two homemade bombs exploded at a Mussayab vegetable market.
A car bomb in Yusufiya left two dead and nine wounded at a bus station.
In Baghdad, a blast on Qanat al-Jiesh St. killed one Iraqi and wounded two others. A sticky bomb wounded a civilian in Adhamiya. One person was killed and three others were wounded in Saidiya.
A Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) official was killed during a blast in Saidiya. The man was running in upcoming elections. Saidiya is part of a disputed area that borders the Kurdish Autonomous Region.
In Mosul, blasts at a church and convent left no casualties. Gunmen killed an Iraqi soldier who was home on leave.
Kurdish President Masoud Barzani pardoned 250 prisoners guilty of minor crimes ahead of the Eid holiday.
The Justice Ministry released 167 innocent detainees across Iraq.
Kirkuk has implemented a tighter security plan for the Eid.
Seven suspects were captured across Basra province.
In Ramadi, 23 detainees were released for insufficient evidence against them.
