Updated at 11:19 p.m. EST, Dec. 8, 2009
An attack on government buildings in Baghdad left hundreds dead or injured even as the presidential council set March 7 for the next national election. Overall, at least 133 people were killed and another 531 were wounded across Iraq. Increased violence is expected before those elections. Meanwhile, a British intelligence official admitted at an inquiry that before the 2003 invasion the UK believed Saddam had dismantled Iraq’s biological and chemical weapons. Former Joint Intelligence Committee head, John Scarlett, added that officials feared they could be reassembled.
While Shi’ites observed the Eid al-Ghadeer holiday, one Shi’ite school in Sadr City suffered a tragic attack. At least 19 Iraqis were killed and 56 more were wounded there and across the country. The bombing comes just as Iraqi officials are hoping to pin down a date in late February for national elections. Full details were not revealed, but Parliament approved a new elections law late yesterday after Sunni and Kurdish objections were apparently resolved.
Updated at 4:59 p.m. EST, Dec. 6, 2009
At least eight Iraqis were killed and 20 others were wounded in the latest attacks. While attacks in Mosul have seemingly dissipated, reporters appear to have moved to the contested city of Kirkuk. Late in the evening, parliament approved a new elections law.
Updated at 9:45 p.m. EST, Dec. 5, 2009
At least six Iraqis were killed and 13 more were wounded in attacks across Iraq. Meanwhile, lawmakers have apparently reversed an elections law amendment that had delighted Kurd citizens but enraged their Sunni counterparts; however, a conflicting report notes that a quorum was not reached in parliament, imperiling the passage of the law.
Updated at 4:13 p.m. EST, Dec. 4, 2009
At least four Iraqis were killed today and six more were wounded in the latest attacks. With many Iraqi politicians still on holiday, Parliamentary speaker Iyad al-Samarrai fears that a lack of a quorum will prevent discussion of the elections law impasse. Also, Lt. Gen. Sir Anthony Pigott, former deputy chief of the defense staff, testified at a British inquiry, stating that U.S. forces were premature in declaring victory in Iraq.
Updated at 5:04 p.m. EST, Dec. 3, 2009
At least 16 Iraqis were killed and 27 more were wounded in new violence today. In one attack, a significant bombing targeted a police official just north of Baghdad. Also, Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi is willing to discuss the elections law impasse ahead of a Sunday deadline, when he will likely extend his current veto of the bill.
Updated at 8:22 p.m. EST, Dec. 2, 2009
At least three Iraqis were killed and 18 were wounded in violence across central Iraq. Most of the wounded were from a previously reported incident, but the casualty figures were revised. The rest of the wounded and one of the dead were from a U.S. attack on a Kurdish security force in Diyala.
At least nine Iraqis were killed and nine more were wounded in light violence. Iraqi parliament speaker Iyad al-Samarrai warned that Iraqi jails are in desperate need of reform and criticized the slow implementation of the general pardon.
Updated at 6:59 p.m. EST, Nov. 30 2009
The Health Ministry reported the lowest casualty figures since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. According to their figures, less than 100 Iraqis were killed in November; howver, at least four Iraqis were killed and 15 more were wounded, many after the release of those results. The Eid al-Adha winds down today, so reports should normalize in the next day or so.
Updated at 7:49 p.m. EST, Nov. 29, 2009
The Eid al-Adha holiday continued without any major incidents; nonetheless, at least four Iraqis were killed and nine more were wounded across the country. Also, a U.S. soldier died of non-combat injuries south of Baghdad.
