Iraq War

Violence in Iraq, including actions by US-led coalition and paramilitary forces, was responsible for some 24,000 civilian deaths in 2007, according to an independent group monitoring casualties in the war-ravaged country.

A female suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest struck a checkpoint of neighborhood patrol volunteers in Baquba, capital of Iraq's restive Diyala province, killing 10 people and wounding eight, police said.

Relatives wept as the remains of victims from a suicide bombing at a funeral were placed into coffins Wednesday, while police increased the attack’s death toll by four to 36 killed in Baghdad’s deadliest attack since August.

A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device was detonated at a Concerned Local Citizen’s checkpoint near Mushada, Iraq, Dec. 31, killing two CLCs and wounding two others. Two more are missing in action.

A suicide bombing Wednesday in the city of Baqouba killed seven people and wounded 22, police said, while authorities increased the death toll from a Baghdad suicide attack at a funeral the previous day to 36.

Police found (3) unidentified dead bodies in the following neighborhoods in Baghdad:(2) were found in Saidiyah in west Baghdad (Karkh bank). While (1) was found in Zayuna in east Baghdad (Risafa bank).

Iraqi police yesterday freed 51 followers of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, including a provincial council member, held over clashes in Karbala in August. The clashes between Sadr's followers and police during a pilgrimage sparked outrage...

A U.S. Soldier died as a result of a non-combat related injury in the vicinity of Qayyarah Airfield West Dec. 31. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense.

A suicide bomber killed at least 30 people and wounded 38 at a funeral in eastern Baghdad on Tuesday and the deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital for months cast a pall over New Year celebrations.

A U.S. helicopter bombed areas near the town of Iskandriyah south of Baghdad after two U.S. patrols attacked by roadside bombs, killing a suspected insurgent and wounding another, local police said on Tuesday.

The bodies of a Sunni policeman and four of his family members were found on the outskirts of a village north of Baghdad early Tuesday, just hours after they were abducted from their home by unknown gunmen, authorities said.

Police said they found a body of an unidentified male on a highway, 35 km (20 miles) north of Falluja.

Petty Officer 1st Class Victor W. Jeffries, 52, of Honolulu, Hawaii, died Dec. 31, 2007 as a result of injuries suffered Dec. 24 in a vehicular accident in Kuwait. He was permanently assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, Kuwait.

It was something not seen in Baghdad since before the 2003 invasion - people publicly welcoming a new year with singing, dancing and alcohol-fueled revelry.

Darcy Woodke recalls the day she picked up her husband and several of his National Guard buddies after they got back from Iraq...is an advocate for the soldiers, arranging medical treatment, therapy, marital counseling and other assistance...

According to figures compiled by the interior, health and defense ministries, 481 civilians died violently in Iraq in December, a 75 percent drop from the 1,930 who were killed in December 2006, when the country was on the brink of civil war.

Another Marine, 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson, was ordered to court-martial on charges of making false official statements, obstruction of justice and attempting to fraudulently separate from the Marine Corps.

The alleged ringleader of US troops who killed 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians in 2005 in Haditha will not face murder charges, a US Marines spokesman said. Sgt Frank Wuterich, 27, will stand trial for voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault...

Two Iraqi soldiers were killed when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off in an area near the borders with Iran, said a security source Monday. The source said the incident occurred in Klalos area located in Diyala province...

Members of the paramilitary Awakening Council of Al-A'zhamiya arrested three persons of Iranian nationality and handed them to the US forces, commander of the council Colonel Riyadh Al-Samerra'e said Monday.