Updated at 10:33 p.m. EST, Dec. 30, 2010
At least three Iraqis were killed in the latest violence while 34 more were wounded. Christians were targeted in at least two attacks in Baghdad, even as Parliament Speaker Usama al-Nujeifi met with Christian leaders to express his solidarity with the minority group. Meanwhile, Iraq Body Count released preliminary civilian casualty figures for 2010.
In a preliminary report, Iraq Body Count noted that as of December 25 at least 3,976 civilians were killed in 1,601 attacks. The number is down from 4,680 deaths in 2009. I.B.C.’s numbers are based on actual reports and should be considered the lowest possible number of deaths that occurred. Unfortunately, many deaths have gone unreported, a condition that has only worsened as international reporters have left the country. Other deaths have been kept secret: After WikiLeaks released about 400,000 classified Iraq documents, approximately 15,000 more deaths were discovered.
The Iraqi Army apologized for any transgressions following an attack on their troops in Tal Afar. An unknown number of men were randomly detained and subjected to humiliation and torture in retaliation for Monday’s deadly attack.
In Baghdad, two people were killed and three others were wounded during a blast that occurred near Christian homes in Ghadeer. It was one of 10 bomb attacks targeting Christians throughout the city. At least 17 other Christians were reported wounded. Gunmen also wounded six people when they attacked two homes, one belonging to a Christian family and the other to a Sabean Mandean family, but it is unclear if this attack, which occurred in Alam, was counted in the overall figure. Three people were also wounded in a blast at a restaurant on 62nd Street. A Katyusha rocket attack near the al-Zawra court in Mansour left five wounded very early in the day. A three-wheeled motorbike carrying a launching pad was found in Habibiya. Also, a factory that produces "silenced weapons" was discovered.
Gunmen in Kirkuk killed a man who was in his garden.
A man accused of plotting yesterday’s deadly attack against a police commander in Mosul was arrested in Bab Sinjar.
Three explosives-detectors were delivered to security forces in Najaf.
