Eleven Iraqis Killed as Gunmen Target Political and Religious Leaders

At least 11 Iraqis were killed and 16 more were wounded in several attacks that each left just a few casualties. In several of them, gunmen seemed to pick specific political or religious targets. Meanwhile, the International Crisis Group warned that corruption was hampering Iraq’s development. Their report was issued just a couple weeks after the head of Iraq’s Integrity Commission, Raheem Uqaili, quit his post.

In Baghdad, gunmen killed a senior finance manager and wounded a judge in separate incidents. A brigadier general and his wife were killed when gunmen attacked him in Amil. A health ministry official was also shot and wounded. A bomb blew up in Khadraa, wounding a civilian. Three were wounded in a blast in Jamiaa. A policeman was killed and two others were wounded in a drive-by shooting in Shabb.

A roadside bomb in Kirkuk killed three people, but a fourth person escaped with injuries.

An explosives expert was wounded while attempting to defuse a bomb near Baquba.

A civilian was wounded in Hadid when bombs exploded at the home of a Sahwa member.

In Nasariya, an Iraqi soldier was killed and another was wounded during a joint U.S.-Iraqi raid. One of the four suspects captured, allegedly carried a U.S. passport.

A clash between villagers and Peshmerga soldiers near Mosul left one of the Peshmerga dead and another wounded. In town, a soldier was shot to death. A policeman was wounded at a checkpoint.

A drive-by shooter wounded an imam and killed one of the imam’s relatives in Diwaniya.

Gunmen threw a grenade at a convoy carrying the chairman of Samarra‘s city council. One bodyguard was seriously wounded.

Another cab driver has been kidnapped in the Hilla area.

Also, a spokesman for the Kurdistan Workers Party (P.K.K.) reported new Turkish air and artillery strikes in northern Iraq. Turkey also quit peace negotiations.

Author: Margaret Griffis

Margaret Griffis is a journalist from Miami Beach, Florida and has been covering Iraqi casualties for Antiwar.com since 2006.