U.S. Gen. Martin Dempsey expressed his doubts about the U.S. military role in Iraq during a speech to troops on Thursday while in Italy. He also does not believe that Iraq’s strategy against the Islamic State militants will work. Back in the Washington, several lawmakers also stated their disappointment with current strategy.
Eighty U.S. trainers arrived in Anbar province. All U.S. personnel had been evacuated from Anbar when the Islamic State militants took control of Ramadi, but they are now beginning to return under a ramped-up campaign to enable the Iraqis to fight the militants.
Some American veterans have returned to fight alongside Kurds in northern Iraq even though it is not part of the U.S. mission. Baghdad has signaled its disapproval with their presence.
Tariq Aziz was laid to rest in Jordan.
At least 59 were killed and 48 were wounded:
Four suicide bombers killed 13 security personnel and wounded 29 more in Hajjaj. The bombers drove brand new S.U.V.s, which made them appear to be a military convoy. The four men were all foreign fighters, either British, German, Kuwaiti, or Palestinian.
Three car bombs south of Falluja killed an Iraqi commander and wounded five soldiers.
Clashes continued in the area of Jalawla and Saidiya. At least four militiamen and two Peshmerga were wounded fighting each other.
In Madaen, a bomb killed one soldier and wounded six others.
A bomb in Tuz killed a civilian and wounded two more.
In al-Baghdadi, 16 militants were killed.
Eleven militants were killed in Kirkuk.
Another eleven were killed in Tal Afar.
A militant was killed in Samarra.
Several militants were killed during an attack on Garma.
