Wednesday: 2 US Soldiers, 32 Iraqis Killed; 45 Iraqis Wounded

Updated at 11:55 p.m. EDT, Mar. 19, 2008

As President Bush marked the five anniversary of the invasion of Iraq with a speech, at least 32 Iraqis were killed and another 45 were wounded in the latest violence. Two American soldiers were also killed.

An American soldier was killed in a vehicle rollover in Diyala province today. Also, the DOD announced the death of a U.S. soldier during an incident that is currently under investigation.

In Basra, 17 border guards were killed in different parts of the city; it is not yet known whether the attacks were carried out by the same gunmen or otherwise coordinated. A policeman was gunned down in central Basra. A roadside bomb targeting a senior police officer injured a bodyguard and two civilians instead. A bomb stuck on a taxi killed the driver and wounded three other people.

A U.S. patrol admitted to accidentally killing three Iraqi policemen and wounding a fourth during an incident in Kirkuk.

A female suicide bomber killed five people and wounded 16 at a market in Balad Ruz.

In Baghdad, gunmen attacked a money exchange business where they killed the owner, wounded an employee, and stole $115,000. Three Awakening Council (Sahwa) members and a civilian were wounded at a checkpoint when gunmen lobbed a grenade at them. In Karrada, a bomb attached to a car killed a military official and wounded another.

In Mosul, a suicide bomber wounded 14 people, including Iraqi soldiers, during an attack on a patrol in Intisar.

Gunmen attacked a Sahwa checkpoint in Tikrit, where they killed one member and wounded two others.

A roadside bomb killed one policeman and wounded two more in Iskandariya. Another bomb killed a woman and wounded two others; a second bomb exploded not long after the first bomb, but a third bomb was defused.

The bodies of two Iraqi security guards were found in Karbala.

An oil pipeline was set on fire in Mussayab.

Iran shelled locations in northern Iraq believed used by Kurdish separatists belonging to Party for Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) rebels. No casualties were reported.

In Diyala province, 54 detainees were freed after proving they were innocent of crimes.

Also, U.S. forces now say they did not arrest the chief of the National Front of Iraqi Tribes, Sheikh Rasheed al-Ziydan, during a raid yesterday.

 

Compiled by Margaret Griffis

Author: Margaret Griffis

Margaret Griffis is a journalist from Miami Beach, Florida and has been covering Iraqi casualties for Antiwar.com since 2006.