Tuesday: 1 US Soldier, 62 Iraqis Killed; 70 Iraqis Wounded

Updated at 10:40 p.m. EST, Jan. 1, 2008

At least 62 Iraqis were killed and 70 wounded in the latest attacks, which included a significant suicide bombing at a funeral in Baghdad. Meanwhile, the Iraqi government released their official casualty figures for 2007; the number of Iraqi deaths is up from last year. Also, an American soldier died of a non-combat-related injury at Qayyarah Airfield West yesterday.

In Baghdad, at least 30 people were killed and 38 wounded in Zayouna where a suicide bomber struck at a funeral being held for a former army officer who died in a bomb attack. Also, three dumped bodies were found in separate neighborhoods.

U.S. forces killed two people, possibly elderly, in Mosul. The soldiers claimed that the car had refused to slow down, but police said that the couple had been shot after a roadside bomb exploded near the Americans. In the al-Thawra neighborhood, a U.S. helicopter shot and wounded six civilians. Three dumped bodies were recovered. Also, a gunman was arrested.

The bodies of a Sunni policeman and four family members were found in Jalawla.

Gunmen in Tahwelah killed a Shi’ite man and his 16-year-old son.

Near Balad, clashes with gunmen left one policeman dead and six others wounded.

Three Iraqi soldiers were wounded during a roadside bombing in al-Zab.

An unidentified body was found on a highway near Fallujah. No casualties were reported after a roadside bombing.

A shepherd was killed and three more were kidnapped near Duluiya in Abu Heleig. A quantity of sheep and the shepherds' vehicles were stolen.

In al-Rashad, a civilian was gunned down.

An Iraqi army soldier was killed in Ragat Haji Suheil. A roadside bomb injured a policeman transporting the body to the morgue.

A judge was freed in Kirkuk, and his attackers were arrested. In a village south of the city, gunmen killed three people.

Police arrested two men in Najaf as they attempted to kidnap a 19-year-old woman.

U.S. helicopters fired upon and killed nine suspects in Arab Jabour yesterday.

Nine Iraqi soldiers were wounded in explosions that occurred during an attack on a Diyala province checkpoint.

A municipal council member was arrested in Karbala, but he was released hours later due to lack of evidence against him. The arrest warrant was issued after a riot broke out during religious observances in August.

In Buhriz, one Awakening Council member was killed and two were wounded during a security operation; eight people were also arrested. In a possibly separate incident, an Awakening Council member and three aides were arrested on allegations that they were helping al-Qaeda.

Combined U.S.-Iraqi forces arrested 46 suspects, one a Saudi national, in Iskandariya. Also, a U.S. helicopter killed a suspect and wounded two others after two U.S. patrols were targeted by roadside bombs.

Also, the Iraqi government released their official casualty figures: 16,232 civilians, 432 soldiers and about 1,300 policeman were killed. These figures, except for the number of soldiers killed, are up from last year. The Associated Press noted that they counted over 18,610 deaths from various sources.

Compiled by Margaret Griffis