The Common Ills: At least 27 dead, thirty six injured in today's violence

Friday, August 23, 2013

At least 27 dead, thirty six injured in today's violence

Iraq is no where in the news cycle as I type this (other than Syrian refugees) and this despite protests and bombings. At least seven bombings have taken place across Iraq and this and other violence has led to at least 27 deaths and thirty-six injured.

National Iraqi News Agency reports a Tikrit home invasion left a husband and wife dead and two more relatives injured, and a Falluja roadside bombing claimed 1 life and left another person injured. All Iraq News adds a southern Baghdad bombing claimed 1 life and left four people injured, a northern Iraq bombing claimed 1 life and left five people injured, a western Baghdad bombing claimed 2 lives and left five people injured, a Ramadi suicide bomber claimed 14 lives (ten were Iraqi soldiers) and left four more people injured, and a woman whose profession was tailor was killed in a Mosul home invasion. Alsumaria notes 1 male corpse was discovered in Zaidan village (blindfolded and strangled), a Mosul car bombing has left two Iraqi soldiers injured, and a bombing near a Baquba mosque claimed 4 lives and left thirteen injured. Through yesterday, Iraq Body Count counts 567 violent deaths so far this month.

Meanwhile, protests continue in Iraq. Iraqi Spring MC notes protests took place in Baquba (above), Tikrit, Baji, Mosul, Falluja, Baghdad's Adhamiya, Samarra, Rawah, Jalawah, and Ramadi.

This wave of protests has been going on since December 21st.

This is the 8th month of continued protests.

You'd think this would warrant some attention from the international press. Maybe they're all waiting to file later today? (Don't hold your breath.) Layla Anwar (An Arab Woman Blues) has summed up the primary demands as follows:

- End of Sectarian Shia rule
- the re-writing of the Iraqi constitution (drafted by the Americans and Iranians)
- the end to arbitrary killings and detention, rape and torture of all detainees on basis of sect alone and their release
- the end of discriminatory policies in employment, education, etc based on sect
- the provision of government services to all
- the end of corruption
- no division between Shias and Sunnis, a one Islam for all Iraqi Muslims and a one Iraq for all Iraqis.

The following community sites -- plus Susan's On the Edge, Pacifica Evening News, Antiwar.com, the ACLU, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Adam Kokesh and the Guardian -- updated last night and this morning: