In the small town of Khan Bani Saad in Diyala Province east of Baghdad, a woman suicide bomber killed 9 Shiites and wounded 15 at a market just before a major religious holiday.
Meanwhile, in nearby Salahuddin Province, guerrillas deployed small arms fire to kill 3 US troops:
‘ SALAHUDDIN PROVINCE – Three U.S. soldiers were killed and two wounded by small arms fire during operations in Iraq’s northern Salahuddin province on Wednesday, the U.S. military said. . .
Baghdad and 10 other provinces will be under a vehicle or other sort of curfew beginning Thursday because of the Shiite holy days of the month of Muharram and the danger that radical Sunni guerrillas will inflame sectarian passions by attacking at that time.
Patrick Cockburn reports that poppy cultivation for opium production is spreading rapidly in Diyala Province, and that the profits are fueling narco-terrorism because the fields are controlled by the Salafi Jihadis. American rule of Iraq is like the four horses of the apocalypse.
The US military dropped five times as many bombs on Iraq in 2007 as it had in 2006. Human Rights Watch is worried about the impact on civilian casualties.
McClatchy reports political violence for Wednesday in Iraq:
‘ Baghdad: Six civilians were injured in two IEDs that targeted the civilians in Nahrawan district southeast Baghdad around 7,00 am.
Around 7,30, gunmen driving a car threw a grenade nearby Sardar car lot near the high way in Nahdha neighborhood east Baghdad. No casualties were reported.
Two civilians were killed and ten others were injured in an IED explosion in Waziriyah neighborhood east Baghdad around 8,00 am.
the American army base in Shaab neighborhood north Baghdad was targeted today with three mortar shells today morning. the US aconfirmed the news about the attack saying that the attack didnt cause any injuries or deaths.
Three civilians were injured in three IEDs explosions in Palestine Street east Baghdad around 9,30 am.
Two mortar shells hit the green zone downtown Baghdad around 7,00 pm. No casualties were reported.
Police found five anonymous bodies in Baghdad . . .
Kirkuk: The police of Khurmato town south of Kirkuk city found a body of a civilian today morning. Police said that the body was of a man named Najeeb Lateef Mohammed who was kidnapped by gunmen yesterday night adding that sings of torture was obvious on the body.
A policeman was injured in an IED explosion that targeted a police patrol on Baghdad Kirkuk Street south of Kirkuk city today morning. . .
[Ninevah]: The spokesman of the police in [Ninevah] province north of Baghdad said that five civilians were injured when a suicide car attacked a patrol of the MNF in al Malyah neighborhood east Mosul city today afternoon.
Six civilians were injured in clashes between the Iraqi army and gunmen in al Noor neighborhood northeast Mosul city today afternoon. ‘
The Arabic text of the “Accountability and Justice Law” passed by parliament last weekend is now available at the Iraqi parliament site in pdf form. The general parliament URL is www. parliament. iq.
Barnett Rubin has made a series of very important postings on Afghanistan at our Global Affairs blog. Scroll down for his comments last Saturday on the opium problem in Afghanistan, which now may spread to Iraq.
At the Napoleon’s Egypt blog, an important long letter by Poussielgue on the dire straits of the French army after Bonaparte abandoned them in Egypt.