52 Killed in Iraq; Militant Executes own Father

Millions of Shi’ites were
in Karbala on Wednesday for Ashura observances. The religious holiday
honors the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson Hussein, who was martyred in the 7th
century A.D.

Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr decried
a Supreme Court decision that favored former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
over current the current premier, Haider al-Abadi. The court ruled again
one of Abadi’s planned anti-corruption reforms that eliminated the country’s
three vice presidents. Maliki is currently a vice president and also a
long-time rival of Sadr. Sadr wants his followers to protest the decision.

At least 53 people were killed and 13 were wounded:

In Mahmoudiya, a bomb killed
two people and wounded nine more.

A sticky bomb killed
a civilian in Sadr City.

A sniper shot
dead a policeman in the Hamrin Hills.

A small arms attack on the Kirkuk home of an
anti-drug director left one
bodyguard with injuries.

Security forces killed
15 militants between Haditha and Baiji.

In Khorsabad, an airstrike left 12
militants dead.

Ten
militants were killed in a strike on Bartala.

Peshmerga fighters in Noran killed
at least eight more militants.

An airstrike killed
a leading militant and wounded three more in Bashiqa.

Security forces discovered the bodies
of two militants after an airstrike near Adhaim.

In Mosul, a militant executed his own father
for disrespecting ISIS/Daesh.

Read more by Margaret Griffis