Clashes continued in Tuz Khormato despite a ceasefire that was agreed to by both sides on Sunday. On Monday, mortars killed one civilian and wounded six others. One Peshmerga fighter was also killed. One source claimed that 25 militiamen were killed and 37 were wounded during the two days of fighting, and at least six Peshmerga were wounded. Six Peshmerga were reported killed by other sources.
Kurdish forces claim that they have been observing the ceasefire, but Kurdish civilians took up arms on their own. Streets remained empty due to the danger. Peshmerga forces have offered to withdraw from the city is Shi’ite militiamen do the same. The fighting apparently began late Saturday night when a Shi’ite militiaman threw a grenade into the home of a Kurdish commander.
United Nations‘ Deputy High Commissioner for Human Fights, Kate Gilmore said Iraq has failed leadership that is overly focused on defeating the Islamic State militants to the point of neglecting of civilian needs. She warned that the international community must not be complicit in this failure. Kenneth M. Pollack, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, echoed that sentiment. He suggests that defeating ISIS might create an even bigger disaster once the common enemy of all Iraq’s factions is eliminated.
The situation in Falluja remains dire. Trapped civilians face not only the war, but also astronomical prices for necessary supplies such as food. Nearby at the Bzeibez Bridge into Baghdad, refugees fleeing the carnage also suffer from a lack of essentials.
At least 159 people were killed and 103 were wounded:
In Baghdad, a suicide bomber killed 11 people and wounded 39 near a cinema in Baghdad al-Jadida.
Nine Peshmerga were killed and four were wounded in missile strikes against Gwer.
In Mosul, seven Kurds were executed, including a six-year-old child. Militants burned four young men to death. A historic church was demolished. Airstrikes left eight militants dead. Another strike killed a militant oil minister and two companions.
Three women were executed in Qayara.
A car bomb in Latifiya killed one soldier and wounded five more.
A civilian was gunned down in Hramsha.
Gunmen in Iskandariya wounded two civilians.
In Doulab, a brigadier general and three aides were wounded in a mortar attack. Dozens militants were killed when security forces reclaimed the police station. At least 41 militants were killed in that or separate fighting.
Security forces killed 22 militants in Albu Ouda.
Federal police in the Makhoul Mountains killed 11 militants.
Ten militants were killed in an airstrike on Rashid.
