Saturday: 2 GIs, 1 Briton, 54 Iraqis Killed; 31 Iraqis Wounded

Updated at 11:05 p.m. EDT, Sat. 22, 2007

At least 54 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 31 were wounded in the latest violence. An incident involving U.S. troops killing a family in Iskandariya was reported. Also, an attack in Suleiman Bek left a number of civilians wounded. A Briton and two GIs were killed in separate incidents as well.

A Task Force Lightning soldier was killed in a vehicular accident today in Diyala province. A Task Force Marne soldier was died from non-combat-related injuries yesterday. Also, a British soldier died from injuries received in a forklift accident in Basra.

U.S. forces stormed a home in Iskandariya. They killed seven members of the same family, including women and children, they believed to be members of a militia, then they demolished the home. Twelve residents were killed in a clash that followed the operation. The U.S. army has yet to comment on the incident.

The Islamic State in Iraq militia group released a video showing the executions of five Iraqi army soldiers.

In Baghdad, nine unidentified bodies were found dumped in several neigbhorhoods. A roadside bomb targeting a U.S. patrol in Shula wounded an Iraqi civilian instead. Two civilians in Eskan were wounded by a separate roadside bomb. Dreaded police commandos raided a children's hospital in the al-Iskan neighborhood; they beat up several of the hospital's security personnel, detained two, and caused families to flee the hospital in panic. Also, gunmen burned down three homes in Washash, but no casualties were reported.

Eleven people were wounded during a roadside bomb attack at a marketplace in Suleiman Bek.

Eight policemen were wounded and 18 gunmen were detained during an armed attack in Balad Ruz. In a separate incident, a policeman was killed and four more were wounded during an attack on a police checkpoint.

Four civilians were wounded during a bombing that targeted a police patrol in Baquba.

In Tal Afar, a bomb-maker was killed and another was wounded when their device exploded prematurely.

A garbage bag containing a corpse bearing gunshot and torture wounds was found in Kirkuk. The owner of a car parts shop was killed in an armed attack.

A police officer in Khalis survived an assassination attempt unharmed.

No casualties were reported after a car bombing near the Iranian consulate in Basra.

In Hawija, two IEDs produced no casuaties.

U.S. troops killed seven suspects and arrested 12 more, including what may be a senior al-Qaeda member, in Mussayab. Combined U.S.-Iraqi forces killed ten suspects and arrested 16 during operations in Baquba. Iraqi police and army troops arrested 54 suspects in Mosul.

Also, 150 families were displaced after clashes in Baghdad's Washash neighborhood earlier this week. On the heels of that event, the Red Crescent released a report estimating that two million Iraqis have moved within the country to avoid violence since the U.S. invasion; the figure does not include another two million who have left the country. The number of refugees into Syria increased recently as the country threatened to clampdown on immigration.

And, Iran resumed shelling of Iraqi border areas. No casualties were reported.

Compiled by Margaret Griffis