Saturday Attacks Leave 123 Iraqis, US Airman, US Marine Dead

Updated at 6:00 p.m. EDT, Oct. 14, 2006

The violence in Iraq continued late Friday and into Saturday. At least 125 were reported killed and another 19 injured. According to the U.S. military, among the wounded is a soldier who was seriously injured on Tuesday when a grenade was hurled at his Humvee. Also, one American airman died today while working with Iraqi police in Baghdad and a Marine died from injuries sustained in Anbar province. Today, the Department of Defense also announced the death of a soldier in Mosul on Oct. 12; he was killed by an improvised explosive device. The family of a Halliburton contractor announced his death today; details of how or when he died were not released.

In Baghdad, police so far have found at least another 25 bodies scattered throughout the city; they were shot and possibly tortured. Gunmen shot dead Raed Qais al-Shammari, a journalist with al-Iraqiya TV. Also, U.S. military officials admitted killing two militiamen linked to Al-Qaeda on Oct. 12.

After a fairly quiet Friday, bombs began to explode throughout the capital again: A roadside bomb wounded two members of the National Police. Two civilians were wounded in the Rashid district when two car bombs exploded. Also, a mortar round hit a home in the Abu Chir neighborhood, wounding five family members.

Four beheaded bodies were fished out of the Tigris River at Suwayra.

In Balad, the sectarian killings escalated; twenty-six bodies were found throughout the city. Officials believe the killings were in retaliation for the murders of 14 Shi’te workers on Friday. The 26 men had been kidnapped from a market, tortured and shot in the head.

Gunmen killed four in Baquba in separate incidents. The Iraqi Army also reported that six gunmen and a female bystander were killed during an altercation between U.S. and Iraqi forces just outside the city. Nearby, seven were killed when mortars hit their village.

In Khalis, gunmen killed one policeman and injured a second officer.

Gunmen in Safiya killed a Shi’ite family of 10. Five women and three children were among the dead.

In Khan Bani Saad, fighting left seven people dead in addition to the six previously reported as wounded.

A Samarra shopkeeper was shot dead in the city’s center.

In Diwaniyah, gunmen killed a teacher, Mohammad Mohsin Al Marmadhi, during a drive-by shooting.

A former Baathist official was dragged from his home in Amara. His body was later found.

In Hawija, clashes between the Iraqi Army and militiamen killed two militants and injured five Iraqi soldiers. Mortar rounds also hit a building, wounding three policemen.

A Shi’te family of four were killed when gunmen stormed their house in Mahmudiya.

In the Shi'ite village of Wahda, gunmen killed four men and three women.

Today U.S. officials admitted to killing a militiaman and arresting six others in Mahmudiya; the incident happened on Oct. 12. Defense ministers also said that Iraqi troops had killed 10 militiamen either in two separate operations, one in Ramadi and the other in Baghdad.

Compiled by Margaret Griffis