Friday: 1 US Soldier, 22 Iraqis Killed; 15 Iraqis Wounded

Updated at 11:59 p.m. EST, Jan. 4, 2008

In a day of light violence, at least 22 Iraqis were killed and 11 more were wounded. Fridays are usually quiet because it is the prayer day. Also, one U.S. soldier died in a non-combat incident in Baghdad on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a vehicle curfew was slowly lifted across Diyala province.

In Baghdad, one unidentified body was recovered. Two roadside bombs targeted separate U.S. patrols; one explosion occurred on Palestine Street, injuring six civilians, while the other happened on the Shoala Highway.

A body was found in Mahmoudiyah.

A drive-by shooting in Jurf al-Sakhar left one civilian dead.

A landmine killed a shepherd east of Basra in al-Ghadier.

In Mosul, a car bomb was defused.

A U.S. helicopter fired upon a home south of Baghdad, killing one suspect and injuring two others, including one suspect. Five people were detained.

The Iraqi army killed four suspects in Baquba. Also, five Iraqi soldiers were killed and two were wounded as they searched a booby-trapped home.

U.S. troops killed two suspects and wounded another in Muqdadiyah; 12 others were detained across Iraq. Also, two people were killed execution style in recent days by these suspects.

No casualties were reported after a missile attack on the British base at Basra’s airport.

In Fallujah, a 14-year-old boy was kidnapped in the al-Joulan neighborhood. Also, police arrested six suspects, three of them while planting a roadside bomb.

Joint forces, including U.S. air cover, conducted an operation in Najaf that left four casualties and resulted in at least six arrests. U.S. forces detained 18 suspects at the cemetery.

A fuel tanker blew up at a checkpoint in Amara. Two policemen were killed and several others were wounded. The driver and a passenger were also killed.

Iraqi and Polish forces arrested three suspects in Ifach. Iraqi and Seven more suspects were arrested in Kirkuk.

Also, the Iraqi Red Crescent reported that 46,000 Iraqis returned from Syria in the last four months of 2007. Over two million Iraqis are thought to have fled the country due to security concerns.

Compiled by Margaret Griffis