2 US Soldiers, 31 Iraqis Killed; 17 Iraqis Wounded

http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=12305

In an attempt to quell bad feelings between Sunnis and Shi’ites, the Iraq parliament passed a law allowing former Ba’ath Party members to return to the posts they held during the Saddam regime; however, there is a possibility that the law could be overturned during an automatic review process. Separately, a spokesman for the Baghdad security plan held a news conference, where he described the deteriorating infrastructure Baghdad residents suffer through.

Otherwise, it was a routine news day with only 31 Iraqis killed and 17 more wounded in recent attacks. Also, two American soldiers were reported killed.

One American soldier died of non-combat-related causes yesterday in Ninewah. Also, the DOD reported that a rocket-propelled grenade killed a U.S. soldier on Thursday.

Officials in Diwaniya released 309 of the 566 detainees captured during the recent Operation Lion's Leap due to a lack of evidence involving them in any crimes; however, 75 are expected to be given death sentences. It is believed that many people held long-term in jails across Iraq are innocent, as they have not yet received trials.

In Baghdad, three unidentified bodies were found dumped in separate neighborhoods. A senior police commando official was killed in Mansour when a bomb planted in his car exploded; two bodyguards were also wounded.

In a separate incident nearby, security contractors shot and wounded a man. In Suleikh, a mortar round killed an Iraqi soldier and wounded four others.

Also, an IED targeted a U.S. convoy passing through al-Bayaa, but the number of casualties was not reported.

In Baquba, gunmen attacked an Awakening Council meeting and killed four members, whose ages ranged from 17 to 21-years. A police officer was also killed.

A bomb blast wounded three people, including a Diyala provincial council member; a curfew was set in place after the incident.

Two people were injured during a car bombing in Mosul’s al-Maliya neighborhood. Also, residents are stocking up on food and other items ahead of a prolonged assault by Iraqi security on suspected al-Qaeda elements and other gunmen who continue to torment the city.

A IED wounded a policemen in Fallujah.

A policeman was killed during a drive-by shooting in Kut.

U.S. forces killed three suspects and detained 36 in northern and central Iraq.

The U.S. base in Kirkuk received mortar fire. Also, gunmen attacked a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party office, injuring one of the guards.

In Samarra, Iraqi police reported that seven civilians were killed during a U.S. air attack in the al-Milah neighborhood.

Gunmen killed a man in al-Hamdaniyah yesterday.

The U.S. military apologized for killing nine civilians wounding three more during a security operation in Iskandariyah.

Comment by Bill Corcoran, editor and host of this blog. The killings and carnage continue all across Iraq with the mainstream media in the United States paying little or no attention at all to what is taking place in Iraq.