Monday: 5 Iraqis Killed, 14 Wounded

Updated at 8:50 p.m. EST, Feb. 2, 2009

As five Iraqis were killed and 14 more were wounded in today's attacks, U.S. President Obama said that he would soon "roll out in a very formal fashion what [the U.S.'s] intentions are in Iraq as well as Afghanistan." He also praised the mostly peaceful elections that took place over the weekend. Meanwhile, Iraqi officials said that ballot counting could take two to three days, and the Kurds announced that elections would take place in the Kurdish Autonomous Zone in May. Also, the Dutch are looking into their government's decision to support the war in Iraq, while the British are on track to start withdrawing in May.

In Mosul, three people were killed and nine more were wounded in Raas al-Gada when a roadside bomb targeting a U.S. vehicle blasted them. A two policemen were wounded in a separate bombing in Talal-Roman. A shepherd was arrested for bomb-making after one bomb accidentally went off inside his home.

Gunmen attacked a policeman's home in Kut. He was not home, but his wife was wounded during the incident.

Two dumped bodies were discovered near Makhmour.

A roadside bomb blast in Baiji left two Iraqi soldiers with injuries.

Shots rang across Ramadi last night as opposing political groups each claimed victory in recent elections. No casualties have been reported, but tribal sheikhs are claiming fraud on the part of the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP) and its allies. The IIP has been running Anbar province, but the tribal sheikhs, who formed the Awakening Councils that made Anbar peaceful. A curfew is in effect until tensions simmer down.

In southern Iraq, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council was content with election predictions, but claimed they did very well in them despite hints otherwise. The group has run the south and is Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's main ally in the region.

Disenfranchised Sunnis may return to power in Ninewa province. Kurdish politicians took control when Sunnis boycotted the last elections. This led to ethnic tensions in the region.

An MNF base in Kirkuk was rocketed, but no casualties were reported.

Four suspects were detained near Baquba.

Meanwhile, the fate of Iraqi oilfields remains rather fuzzy and so does that of the Marsh Arabs.

Compiled by Margaret Griffis