At least 11 Iraqis were killed and 28 more were wounded in the latest violence, but perhaps the worst attacks were disrupted.
Iraqi security forces say they have interrupted an al-Qaeda plot to fly hijacked planes into Shi’ite religious shrines. Two men have been arrested. The airports in Baghdad and Najaf were closed in connection with the investigation, but Baghdad’s airfield reopened hours later while Najaf’s remains closed. While U.S. officials anonymously confirmed the investigation, it in unknown whether the men could have carried out their sketchy plans.
In Baghdad, a Sunni cleric was killed in a hail of gunfire just after morning services at a mosque in Adhamiya. A sticky bomb left on a car belonging to a high-ranking police official exploded as he traveled through Nisour Square, killing him and wounding six others, including bystanders. Three people were killed and six more were wounded during an explosion inside a warehouse. A kidnap victim was liberated. Also, a newspaper editor critical of the government was arrested for unknown reasons, but the B.O.C. denied the arrest.
A pair of bombs in Hawija wounded seven people. The first blast targeted a Sahwa leader’s convoy, wounding the leader and his bodyguards. Two policemen were wounded in a second explosion when they responded to the first one.
In Mosul, gunmen killed an Iraqi soldier. A civilian was shot dead in al-Quds. Gunmen also killed a female nurse. Two soldiers were killed when gunmen attacked their checkpoint.
Five Iraqi soldiers were wounded during a roadside bomb blast in Jalawla.
In Basra province, a girl’s body was discovered placed inside a bag after having been shot. Police arrested a Sunni chieftain on terror charges.
Yesterday in Ramadi two policemen were wounded during a blast on al-Cinema Street.
A landmine wounded a woman and her daughter in Bawa Krawa.
No casualties were reported after gunmen attacked the home of a Salah ad-Din council member.
A roadside bomb targeting a high ranking official’s car in Kirkuk left no casualties. Thirteen suspects were captured. Another wanted man was arrested.
A suspect was arrested in Wassit province.
