Iraqi Lawmakers Trade Blame For Monday’s Slaughter in Haditha

Prayer day violence was light, but at least two Iraqis were killed and six more were wounded. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Baghdad are tossing the blame for Monday’s Haditha massacre around at each other.

Hamid al-Mutlaq, who is a member of parliament’s defense committee, blamed Baghdad for the lapse in security that lead to Monday’s massacre in Haditha. He said that the federal government’s habit of sending forces into Anbar province without notifying local agencies makes it easy for insurgents to successfully disguise themselves as government personnel. For the most part such raids are an annoyance or even a form of harassment. At worst, they cab lead to the deaths of innocent civilians. A State of Law party member, Iyman Waili, instead faulted elements in Anbar who want to turn the province into a semi-autonomous area for the violence.

In Baghdad, a dumped body was found near a market. Gunmen wounded three people in Salamiyat. Explosions in a prayer tent left two people wounded. A policeman was wounded in another shooting.

Gunmen killed a Shabak civilian in Mosul.

Author: Margaret Griffis

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