Iranian Pilgrims Among Nine Killed in Iraq Violence

Violence resumed in earnest today, with at least two attacks claiming over a dozen casualties each. Overall, at least seven Iraqis were killed and 48 more were wounded across the country. Also, two Iranian pilgrims were killed and nine more were wounded in an attack aimed at their minibus.

Two Iranian pilgrims were killed and nine more were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded next to a minibus as it was traveling between religious sites in Samarra and Baghdad. Eight Iraqis were also wounded. The explosion occurred about 15 miles (25 kilometers) north of the capital in Meshahda.

In Mosul, a suicide car bomber drove into a convoy carrying the head of the local Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) office. Hraim Kamal Agha was not wounded, but three bystanders suffered injuries. A roadside bomb killed one person and wounded 13 others, including soldiers. A separate bomb wounded a local mayor south of the city.

A blast at a police officer’s home in Ramadi killed one family member and wounded three others. The police officer was not home at the time.

Two dumped bodies, a father and son, were recovered a day after the pair was kidnapped from Qayara.

In Samarra, one civilian was killed and another was wounded during a blast that also wounded four policemen.

One person was killed and another was wounded during a blast in Ramadi.

In Baghdad, a blast wounded six people in the Saidiya district. Gunmen wounded a sheikh.

In Awireij, a bomb wounded four people, including a policeman.

Three civilians were wounded in a blast in Rashad.

A government employee was kidnapped in Kirkuk.

Author: Margaret Griffis

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