Updated at 8:58 p.m. EST, Feb. 3, 2009
At least four Iraqis
were killed and another 15 were wounded in today's attacks. No Coalition deaths
were reported. Back in the U.S., Christopher Hill was named
to be the next American ambassador to Iraq, replacing Ryan Crocker.
In
election news, the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP) accused Anbar tribes of trying to
incite violence following their accusation of fraud on the part of the IIP and
threats of taking up arms to insure voter's will. Meanwhile, once election results
are announced, a new power structure could
mean a solution to a dispute over a hydrocarbon law; the head of South Oil
also hopes for the return of the Iraqi National Oil company as part of the law.
A Baghdad security spokesperson said
that a woman responsible for training female suicide bombers was captured at an
undisclosed location. She supervised the training of over 80 women, and 28 of
them carried out suicide attacks across Baghdad and Diyala provinces.
In
Baquba, a bomb killed
three people and wounded three others. At least one other bomb blast took
place, wounding
as many as another three people.
In Mosul, witnesses say that
a U.S. patrol fired randomly upon a group of people in order to clear a path for
themselves; one woman and her two
daughters were hurt in the incident. A body
was found. A roadside bomb targeting a U.S. patrol injured
four Iraqis instead.
In Kirkuk, a roadside bomb injured
two civilians. Three gunmen were detained.
Joint security forces safely detonated
a bomb just outside of town. A mortar fell onto a home but failed
to to explode or cause casualties. Also, Kurdish security forces arrested
a suspected suicide bomber.
In Baghdad, security forces arrested
11 suspects and defused 71 bombs. Also, a roadside bomb targeting a U.S. patrol
in the Shabb district left no
casualties.
No casualties
were reported after a bomb blasted a U.S. patrol in Latifiya.
Security
forces today withdrew from
polling station in Hamdaniya.
Near Jalawla in Baniera village,
police arrested four suspects believed involved in a kidnapping plot that took
place several months ago.
Ten suspects were detained
in Basra.
A weapons cache was found
in Garma.
U.S. officials expect
to release 50 Iraqi detainees a day a required by a U.S.-Iraqi security agreement.
Any Iraqis in custody but not wanted by Iraqi security will be freed.
Compiled
by Margaret Griffis