Military Ready to Start New Operation Near Kirkuk; 75 Killed in Iraq
Military officials say that preparations
for an assault on Hawija are complete. The operations apparently will
include parts of Shirqat that are still under militant control.
Shi’ite cleric Qassim al-Tai issued a fatwa
ordering Iraqis to fight Turkish troops illegally stationed in Iraq. Besides
military intervention, he suggested boycotting Turkish products.
Islamic State militants launched
mortars at Turkish troops stationed in Bashiqa, but no
casualties were reported.
At least 75 people were killed and 21 more were wounded
in recent violence:
Sources in Qaim say 11 children have been killed in
order to supply militant hospitals with organs.
In Baghdad, a blast in Basmaya killed
two people and wounded nine more. A bombing killed one and
wounded six in Furat. Two people were
killed and four were wounded by a bomb at a Rashidiya market.
One
policeman was killed and two more were wounded while attempting to defuse a
bomb in Fallujah.
In Mosul, militants killed
three civilians, including the poet Qusay Samer. Three
women were executed for having mobile phones.
Airstrikes killed
30 militants in Albu Ali Jassim.
A strike on Baaj left nine
militants dead.
Nine
militants were killed in Hit Island.
An airstrike on Hud killed
four militants, one of them a leader.