Sunni MP Under Arrest As Attacks Leave 33 Dead, 52 Wounded

by , December 28, 2013

At least 33 people were killed and 52 more were wounded in fresh violence. In the most chilling event, Iraqi forces arrived at the home of a member of parliament to arrest him.

Security forces arrived at the Ramadi home of M.P. Ahmed al-Awlani to arrest him and his brother on terrorism charges that likely stem from the lawmaker’s criticism of the Shi’ite-led government. Awlani was detained, but not before a clash between his guards and security forces erupted at the compound. Awlani’s brother, a soldier and five guards were killed, and another 17 people were wounded. A sister was reported to have been among the dead, and Awlani was treated for injuries. The arrest could signal renewed suppression of Sunni politicians by Shi’ite P.M. Nouri al-Maliki.

Also in Ramadi, a dumped body bearing gunshot wounds was found in an area used for protests.

In Mosul, two soldiers were killed and three more were wounded in a suicide blast. Later, three suicide bombers stormed a station, where they killed three people and wounded 12 others, both police and civilians. An I.E.D. injured two civilians. Another bomb wounded a colonel.

In Riyadh, gunmen killed three Sahwa members and wounded four more. One gunman was also killed and another was wounded.

A bomb in Falluja killed a police officer; one bodyguard was also killed and two more were wounded. A roadside bomb killed one soldier and wounded two more.

A policeman was killed and five others were wounded when a bomb exploded in Haditha.

In Tikrit, gunmen killed a former police commander from Dour. Three policemen were shot to death.

Four gunmen were killed in Baghdad.

Gunmen wounded a woman and her son in Mandali.

Read more by Margaret Griffis