At least 21 Iraqis were killed and 36 more were wounded in a string of attacks that targeted police and other officials. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Maliki met with his rival in talks that could break the political impasse that is fueling some of the violence.
The two leading contenders for prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki and Ayad Allawi, today met to work through a bitter rivalry that has grown more intense since March elections. Allawi’s Iraqiya part won more seats that Maliki’s State of Law, but neither party won the majority required to lead the new government. Today’s meeting lasted an hour and was seen as a major step towards reconciliation, but the two men avoided discussing who will serve as the next prime minister. A Maliki associate also said that the meeting should not be viewed as an attempt to sideline the Kurds or the Iraqi National Alliance.
A U.S. Marine accused of murdering an Iraqi man is back on duty after having served a four-year sentence in prison. A military appeals court decided Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III was given an unfair trial and referred the case to a higher court.
Seven people were killed in a car bomb blast targeting police in Baiji. At least 17 people were also wounded. One senior officer who was killed was also a tribal leader. Police detained at least 20 people who were near the scene of the blast. Separately, gunmen killed an oil truck driver outside the city.
Gunmen killed four people, including a 9-year-old girl, who were guarding livestock in Khalis. The slaughter may have been part of a family feud.
In Mosul, gunmen stormed a Zinjili home where they killed a woman and injured two others, including a 9-year-old child. Gunmen in Shoura killed one man and injured his brother. Gunmen attacked two men paving a road south of Mosul, killing one and wounded the other.
In Baghdad, a sticky bomb in the Doura district left one dead and five wounded. A brigadier general was killed and a policeman was injured in a blast in Kadhimiya. Another sticky bomb, this one in Hurriya, killed a social worker and wounded two bystanders. Militants beheaded a 28-year-old female in Zaafaraniyah. Police extinguished a large fire at a sabotaged oil pipeline in the Rashidiya area. Also, police defused a bomb on Rashad Street.
A policeman, his wife, and three children were wounded when bombs exploded outside his home in Abu Ghraib.
A roadside bomb in Hit killed a university chancellor and wounded two other people.
Ramadi police killed a suicide bomber before he could attack worshippers at a mosque.
Three gunmen kidnapped a man at the Kirkuk bus station.
Police arrested a man who had launched a mortar attack on a court in Bab Sinjar.
Twenty-one suspects were arrested in Basra province.
Two men received life sentences in Wassit province for terrorist-related crimes.
The Anbar provincial council sacked the mayor of Fallujah for not taking enough interest in tribal matters.
Turkish soldiers mistakenly killed two elderly men and wounded another they wrongly believed were members of the Kurdistan Workers Party. The men were in a mountainous area of Turkey that is frequented by rebels.
