Friday: 20 Iraqis Killed, 42 Wounded

Updated at 11:17 p.m. EDT, March 14, 2008

At least 20 Iraqis were killed and 42 were wounded in the latest round of violence. Attack reports are usually lighter on Fridays as many reporters in Iraq take the day off. No Coalition deaths were reported.

Clashes between Mahdi Army members and Iraqi police continued in Kut. Two people were killed and ten more were wounded.

In Mosul, a pair of suicide bombers killed three Iraqi soldiers and wounded ten people at a checkpoint.

One person was killed and 10 were wounded when a motorcycle bomb blew up in Suwayra.

Gunmen killed two people and wounded four others in Radisiya. Joint forces, including Awakening Council (Sahwa) members conducted a security raid that netted nine suspects; the son of a chieftain was killed during the raid.

In Baghdad, a soccer coach was gunned down. An IED targeted a U.S. vehicle in Doura, but the number of casualties is unknown; also, the U.S. base there suffered a rocket attack. A roadside bomb blasted a garbage truck, injuring its driver. Also, two dumped bodies were found.

Gunmen in Najaf killed a policeman yesterday during a drive-by shooting.

Police and Sahwa members killed an al-Qaeda leader in Samarra. A car failed to stop at a checkpoint; security forces fired upon it, killing a 15-year-old girl.

A suicide bomber unleashed an attack in Rubiaa, near the Syrian border. At least seven people were wounded.

Police killed three gunmen wearing explosives belts in Tal Afar.

U.S. soldiers killed two suspects and arrested 24 across central and northern Iraq. Ten suspects were detained in Iskandariya. Meanwhile, a huge weapons cache was found in al-Alam. In Hilla, 1200 weapons were found. A weapons cache was also discovered in Kirkuk.

Also, Iraqi troops may soon be deployed to take control of Basra's ports away from the militias that dominate the city. Little news comes out of the city thanks to

Compiled by Margaret Griffis