At least 16 Iraqis were killed and 14 more were wounded in new violence, most of it small arms attacks. Meanwhile, a conference that aims to have Basra province formally declared a semi-autonomous region is underway. Although the area is oil-rich, much of the population is poor; it’s believed that semi-autonomy could turn the region into an economic powerhouse like Iraqi Kurdistan.
In Mosul, a bomb blast killed five policemen and damaged seven shops. Two soldiers were killed in a separate explosion. Gunmen killed three people in separate attacks.
Two brothers were killed and their mother was wounded when gunmen attacked their home in Bani Saad.
Gunmen wounded a criminal investigator and killed his son as the pair from Jalawla drove through Muqdadiya.
A bomb in Abu Ghraib killed two soldiers and wounded three others.
Five people were wounded, including two civilians, when a booby-trapped car targeting police exploded in Falluja.
In Baghdad, two civilians were wounded during an overnight rocket attack.
A bomb in Kirkuk wounded two people.
A soldier was machine-gunned to death while guarding a political office in Khanaqin.
A lawyer was kidnapped in Hilla.
