Updated at 9:03 p.m. EDT, March 31, 2010
At least four Iraqis were killed and six were wounded in unusually light violence. Meanwhile, the governor of Ninewa province called for the release of Iraqi detainees who have not been convicted of any crimes.
In election news, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki‘s bloc submitted complaints regarding the election tally. The prime minister promises to abide by any decisions made and insists he is not trying to change the outcome. Meanwhile, Moqtada al-Sadr has called upon Iraqis to vote in a referendum that will determine the new prime minister. Votes will be collected this weekend at Sadr offices, mosques, and other sites. A spokesman for the Iraqiya bloc, which won the most seats, said that any referendum would be non-binding.
In Mosul, a blast killed two policemen. Two people were wounded in a grenade attack. Also, at least 26 suspects were detained; some of them may have been picked up in an operation in Raas al-Jada. A man was arrested near a seized arms cache. Gunmen broke into a home and killed one of the women in it.
Three gunmen were wounded as they were planting a bomb in a Tal Afar toy store, and another man was arrested.
A bomb blew up, killing one gunman, in Biaaj.
Gunmen attacked a joint U.S.-Iraqi patrol in Kirkuk; the patrol fired back upon the group, injuring one gunman.
No casualties were reported after a bomb blasted a U.S. patrol in Amara.
In Baghdad, three suspects were captured.
Twenty suspects were arrested in Basra province.
The governor of Ninewa province, Atheel al-Nejeifi, asked Chief Judge Medehat al-Mahmoud to order the release of detainees who have not been convicted, as their detention is a burden to their families. Many Iraqis were arrested over the last few years on slim evidence. Thousands have been released but many have yet to see trial. Even the U.S. forces, which were required to hand over Iraqi detainees at the beginning of 2009, continue to hold many Iraqis without trial. Dozens of Iraqis continue to be arrested on a daily basis.
