Monday: 73 Iraqis, 3 US Marines, US Soldier Killed; 18 Iraqis Kidnapped

Updated 10:45 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9, 2006

In Monday and overnight developments in Iraq, the main story is the poisoning of an entire police division. Also, the U.S. military today reported the deaths of three marines on Sunday and the death of one soldier on Monday. At least 74 Iraqis died and 73 others were injured in other events, including a car bomb attack, which killed 13 and wounded 46 at a market in Baghdad. Among the Iraqi dead are the Iraqi vice-president's brother, a humanitarian worker and several policemen. Also, at least 18 people have been kidnapped, including Iraqi soldiers and the nephew of the Iraqi vice-president.

Several hundred police officers in Numaniya fell ill after breaking Ramadan fast. According to some reports seven policemen are known to have died and 1350 other officers were hospitalized; however, other reports state that no one died, and only three or four hundred officers became sick. Among the maladies reported were excessive bleeding and seizures. Authorities ordered an investigation and arrested four cooks as possible suspects in the mass poisoning.

The U.S. military reported that three marines died in Anbar province on Sunday and one soldier died Monday in Baghdad. This brings the total of American deaths in October to 33. The deaths of three other soldiers over the weekend had already been reported.

In Baghdad: Police found at least 40 corpses throughout the city. In the Sadr City neighborhood, gunmen kidnapped 11 soldiers from a checkpoint. Near the near Al-Mudallal mosque in Al-Ateefiya suburb, six civilians were also kidnapped.

A car bomb killed at least 13 and wounded 46 in the Shaab district. The explosive went off on a street in the Shalal market as shops were closing for the evening. In a western neighborhood, gunmen killed two security guards.

Also in the capital, gunmen dressed as policemen stormed the Sulaikh district home of Major General Amer al-Hashimi and killed him; they also killed an unknown number of bodyguards and kidnapped his son. Earlier in the year, his sister and brother had been assassinated. Al-Hashimi was the brother of Iraqi Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi; his Iraqi Islamic Party is the largest Sunni bloc in parliament.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, Abdul-Sattar Abdullah Al-Mashhadani was killed at a sectarian militia checkpoint. He was a native Iraqi who worked for Life for Relief and Development, a humanitarian aid organization based in Detroit.

In Baquba, Gunmen killed Colonel Faleh al-Obeidi and Lt. Col. Salih al-Karkhi in separate events. In a village near town, a roadside bomb killed two policemen and wounded three others.

In Basra, a bomb planted in Galli Najim’s car exploded, killing one bodyguard and wounding two others. Najim, who was not in the car at the time, is the head of the Iraqi National Accord in Basra, a party run by former Prime Minister Iyad Allaw.

In Falluja, gunmen killed a policemen.

Outside of Khalida, police found a body, which was shot in the head.

Mortars fell on Mussayab’s residential district. One man was killed, two others wounded.

Near the Jordanian border at Trebil, a suicide car bomber rammed a police checkpoint wounding six officers and commandos.

In Tal Afar, a suicide car bomber killed a policeman and wounded 13 others at a police checkpoint.

In Kirkuk, two policemen died in an armed attack.

In Khalis, gunmen shot dead police Lt. Col. Ahmed Taha and another officer. When a patrol arrived to investigate, a roadside bomb exploded, killing two more officers and wounding one other.

Compiled by Margaret Griffis