Very light violence left two Iraqis dead and four wounded. Hinting at a possible loophole in the 2008 U.S.-Iraq agreement that forces U.S. troops out at the end of this year, the prime minister suggested a new way to keep U.S. soldiers in Iraq without a formal agreement.
Although Iraq has not formally requested a U.S. troop extension yet, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki publicly said that U.S. military trainers can remain in Iraq without approval from parliament. He also announced that Iraq would buy 36 F-16 fighter jets from the United States. Meanwhile, analysts warn that the U.S. withdrawal could mean dramatic consequences for Kirkuk and other contested areas of northern Iraq.
In Baghdad, gunmen killed an education ministry official and his son during an attack in Ghazaliya. A policeman was wounded when his Baladiyat checkpoint was attacked.
In Mosul, three bodyguards were wounded when a roadside bomb blasted a convoy carrying a provincial council member.
Demonstrators in Khanaqin closed down a border crossing to Iran to prevent the passing of trucks through this major international route. They are protesting Iran funneling water away from a river that serves agricultural areas.
