82 Killed as Shi’ite Pilgrims Gather in Iraq

Iraq’s Supreme Court ruled against an anti-corruption effort that was part of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s restructuring of government. Abadi wanted to eliminate the mostly ceremonial vice presidential and deputy minister positions. The court decided that this part of the reform plan would require Parliament’s approval and then a national referendum.

At least 140,000 foreign pilgrims have arrived in Iraq to attend Ashura observances in Karbala.

At least 82 people were killed and four were wounded:

In Qayara, Katyusha rockets killed 12 civilians and wounded two more. Ten militants were killed in an airstrike.

A car bomb killed six people and wounded another at the AsiaCell checkpoint on the highway between Adhaim and Khalis. Three of the fatalities belonged to security personnel.

In Mosul, militants executed three employees of a local satellite channel. The resistance killed seven militants. Twelve militants were killed in an airstrike.

A bomb killed a man and wounded his wife in Mura village. The pair had been trying to escape Daesh territory.

At the front lines near Nawaran, Peshmerga forces shelled militant positions, killing 20 of them.

Security forces launched an operation in the Mtabijh region. At least six militants were killed, so far, when a helicopter gunship fired on their position.

Five militants were executed in Hit after abandoning their positions near Ramadi.

Resistance fighters killed three militants in Adhba.

Author: Margaret Griffis

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