Friday: 5 US Soldiers, 31 Iraqis Killed; 17 Iraqis Wounded

Updated at 2:45 p.m. EST, Feb. 8, 2008

At least 31 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 17 more were wounded in the latest violence. Clashes took place in a pair of Diyala province cities and a mass grave was found just outside Baquba. Five American soldiers were killed in two separate incidents. Also, an imam in Kufa accused U.S. forces of abusing a ceasefire in order to harass followers of Moqtada al-Sadr.

Four American soldiers were killed today during an IED explosion northwest of Baghdad. Another American soldier was killed and three more were wounded during a bombing in At Ta'Mim province.

Men wearing police uniforms stormed a home in Baquba, where they killed five people, including a woman, before blowing up the building. Clashes took place between 1920 Revolution Brigades and Iraqi police, but no casualties were reported.

Outside Baquba, police found a mass grave containing eight bodies. Three of the dead were women.

An explosion in Kirkuk killed two civilians and three policemen.

The body of an imam was discovered at a Basra morgue. The imam had been kidnapped, along with his son and another person, from his al-Jameiat home. The son and the third victim were released. In a separate incident, four Christians were kidnapped from a church in central Basra.

Three policemen were injured during a car bombing in Hawija.

In Mosul, gunmen murdered a college student at a bus stop.

The head of an Awakening Council in Mishada was assassinated last night.

A clash in Fallujah left one gunman dead and one policeman injured.

Clashes between "concerned local citzens" and police in Buhriz left no casualties.

U.S. forces killed eight suspects and detained 26 in northern and central Iraq; four of them were captured in Baghdad. Three suspects were arrested in Tal Afar.

A large cache of ammunition was found in Numaniya.

In Baghdad, a mortar that fell in Doura left no casualties. Also, three dumped bodies were recovered. There were no casualties during a U.S. raid on the Dentistry School at Mustansiriya University.

In Saqlawiyah, one policeman was killed an 10 injured during a clash at a checkpoint.

Compiled by Margaret Griffis