Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki assured the United States that American troops are no longer needed and there will be no extension of an agreement permitting them in Iraq. Meanwhile, at least 18 Iraqis were killed and 11 more were wounded in the latest violence. Also, five Iraqi Ba’ath Party factions have formed a new party in Damascus.
A car bomb in Mosul killed five policemen and wounded three more. A soldier was wounded in a separate blast. A rocket was defused.
Five bullet-riddled bodies were dumped in a square in Tarmiya.
In Baghdad, gunmen attacked a car in Saidiya, killing one person and injuring his father. Two Iraqis were wounded when a bomb targeting U.S. troops exploded in northern Baghdad. A roadside bomb wounded an employee at the Foreign Ministry. Gunmen killed an employee of parliament last night. Also, some of Baghdad’s hated barriers could be removed now that security has improved.
A roadside bomb in Baquba blasted a minibus, killing a girl and wounded two adults.
Three gunmen were killed and seven more were arrested in a security sweep in al-Buraq.
In Tal Afar, one soldier was killed and another was wounded. A former police direction was arrested in Mosul on suspicion of being an al-Qaeda emir. A second suspect was also arrested.
A sticky bomb in Jadaa village killed an off-duty soldier.
Zummer’s police chief came under attack from gunmen but no casualties were reported.
No casualties were reported after a blast targeting a U.S. patrol near Najaf.
Three suspects were arrested in Hawija.
