Civilian deaths: The U.S. military acknowledged that two Iraqi civilians were killed and nine wounded in southern Baghdad early yesterday when a 4th Infantry Division, 1st Brigade combat unit returned fire after insurgents launched rockets at U.S. forces from the West Rashid district.
Claiming self-defense, Col. Ted Martin of the 1st Brigade said it was “regrettable when the enemy chooses to use a neighborhood as a battleground.”
Martin said his unit would investigate the incident “and will make restitution for any damage or injury caused by our actions.”
Patrol hit: A U.S. patrol was hit by a roadside bomb in the southeast area of Baghdad yesterday, wounding two soldiers and damaging a Humvee, the U.S. military said.
Mortar attacks: A string of mortar shells hit the residential area of al-Amil in western Baghdad yesterday, killing one civilian and wounding eight others.
Wrong target: A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol in Baghdad's mainly Shiite neighborhood of Zafaraniyah missed its target and hit a civilian car, wounding three people, police said yesterday.
Militants killed: In eastern Diyala province, a police report said U.S.-allied Sunnis killed two Sunni militants nine miles south of the provincial capital, Baquba. Six members of the “awakening council” were wounded in the clashes.
Detainees released: Also in Diyala, Iraqi authorities released 65 detainees who had been cleared of criminal charges, police Gen. Ghanem al-Qureshi said yesterday. A total of 1,680 detainees have been released in the province since January.
Draft budget: The Iraqi Ministry of Finance submitted a draft supplementary budget for 2008 of about $21 billion, raising the total to around $70 billion, the biggest in its history.
The additional amount consists of $7.4 billion of capital investment and $13.6 billion for operating Iraq's ministries and provinces, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said yesterday. Iraq's initial federal budget for 2008, passed by parliament, exceeded $48 billion.
The draft will be discussed this week by the Council of Ministers' Economic Committee, then discussed and finalized during a council of ministers session and passed on to the Council of Representatives.
