Wednesday: 86 Iraqis, 8 GIs, 1 Pole Killed; 64 Iraqis, 3 Poles Wounded

Updated at 11:10 p.m. EST, Feb. 7, 2007

Today was deadly for foreign servicemembers in Iraq. Military authorities reported nine deaths including seven American servicemembers who were killed during a helicopter crash this morning northwest of Baghdad, and a Marine who was killed in combat on Tuesday in Anbar province. A Polish soldier was also killed and three more soldiers injured by a roadside bomb near the Polish base at Diwaniya. In related news, AP is reporting a surge in GI deaths over the last four months. Also, at least 86 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 64 wounded in various violent incidents throughout the country.

In Baghdad, the much-awaited security crackdown began with little fanfare. However, violence still made its presence known: A roadside bomb killed a policeman and wounded three others in a central neighborhood. In the New Baghdad area, a separate roadside bomb wounded four more. Mortars killed one person and wounded seven others in northeastern Baghdad. Gunmen killed three people in a drive-by shooting in Yarmouk. No one was injured when gunmen set fire to 16 homes in the Amil area. At al-Iraqiya TV, three guards were shot outside their headquarters in the Salhiya district. Ihsan al-Mashhadani, a finance ministry official was kidnapped. Also, 33 bodies were found scattered around the capital.

In Fallujah, a car bomb at a market killed 10 people, including two children, and injured 30 others. Also, a mortar round killed four people, including two women.

Iraqi soldiers killed at least 10 gunmen during clashes in Ramadi.

Three children were killed and 12 people were injured during a mortar attack north of the capital at Mzerat.

Six bodies were found in Baquba. They bore the torture and gunshot wounds common to victims of sectarian violence.

In Mosul, gunmen killed a government employee and her husband. A suicide bomber targeted a police vehicle but injured no one.

An Iraqi soldier’s body was found in Shirqat.

A roadside bomb near Suwayra killed a woman and wounded two others.

Three bodies were discovered in Mahmudiya.

Two bodies were found in Yusufiya.

At a Muqdadiyah checkpoint, nine people were kidnapped.

Two men and a woman were shot dead in Ishaqi.

On the road to Baghdad at Kut, a roadside bomb killed a woman and injured two others. A bomb that resulted in property damage caused no casualties.

One person was wounded in Musayyib during a mortar attack.

A police officer and a civilian were injured by a roadside bomb near Iskandariya.

Compiled by Margaret Griffis