Updated at 10:20 EST, Nov. 9, 2009
Iraq is awaiting the presidential commission’s approval of Jan. 21 as the date for the next national election. Yesterday’s passing of a contentious elections law was necessary before a polling timetable could be set. Meanwhile, at least five Iraqis were killed and 16 more were wounded across Iraq. Also, three U.S. servicemembers were killed. three U.S. servicemembers were killed.
Updated at 6:33 p.m. EST, Nov. 8, 2009 Parliament today passed a contentious elections law that could allow national elections to occur as early as January. Iraq also enjoyed a third day of very light violence. At least seven Iraqis were killed and nine more were wounded.
Updated at 11:03 p.m. EST, Nov. 7, 2009
At least four Iraqis were killed and six more were wounded in light violence.
Updated at 8:22 p.m. EST, Nov. 6, 2009
At least four Iraqis were killed and nine more were wounded in the latest attacks. Back in the United States, an army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 fellow soldiers at Fort Hood and fearful of an impending deployment was scheduled to go to Afghanistan, not Iraq.
Updated at 9:40 EST, Nov. 5, 2009
At least three Iraqis were killed and 29 more were wounded in the latest attacks. Two U.S. soldiers were killed in separate events as well, of which only one was combat related. In Baghdad, a mortar attack wounded seven more American servicemembers. Meanwhile, the head of Iraq’s election commission again warned of delaying the passage of an elections law that will guide January’s national elections, but parliament again failed to pass one.
Updated at 11:19 p.m. EST, Nov. 4, 2009
A series of bomb attacks targeted Iraqis mostly in and around Baghdad while gunmen left casualties elsewhere. Overall, at least six Iraqis were killed while another 26 were wounded. Meanwhile, the Iraqi election commission chairman warned that further delays in approving an elections law would mean postponing national elections in January. Some analysts view the delay as evidence the U.S. has lost clout in Iraq.
Updated at 11:41 p.m. EST, Nov. 3, 2009
At least five Iraqis were killed and 18 others were wounded in light violence across northern and central Iraq. Meanwhile, a Christian MP asked the speaker to request an international inquiry into anti-Christian violence within Iraq. Also, the International Organization for Migration noted that about 350,000 displaced Iraqis have returned to their homes, but many now suffer from a serious lack of jobs and resources.
Updated at 10:59 p.m. EST, Nov. 2, 2009
Light violence left only three Iraqis dead and two more wounded according to recent reports. A U.S. soldier also died of non-combat injuries. A second US soldier supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom was killed in an accident in Kuwait.
Updated at 5:17 p.m. EST, Nov. 1, 2009
Today’s attacks were focused on cities just south and west of the capital. Although at first glance the bombings look to be the work of Sunni extremists, internecine Shi’ite rivalries should not be ruled out as the source of some violence. Overall, as many as 25 Iraqis were killed and 75 more were wounded in the latest reports. Meanwhile, the elections law impasse threatens to delay the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. At the heart of the problem is the status of multi-ethnic Kirkuk.
Updated at 7:22 p.m. EDT, Oct. 31, 2009
At least three Iraqis were killed and 28 more were wounded in attacks across Baghdad and Mosul. Security in Mosul was tightened ahead of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s historic visit to the northern city. Kurdish President Massoud Barzani greeted the minister and praised Turkish efforts to address a decades old conflict between the Turkish government and Kurds.
