US Soldier, 69 Iraqis Killed, Including 11 Executed by Death Squads, in a September 16, 2007 Report

The Iraq news agency, INA, reported the deaths of a US soldier and 33 Iraqis today, as follows.

- 7 were killed, 19 were injured in a bomb attack at a cafe in Tuz Khurmatu.

- 14 were killed by gunmen, in a village (Al-Miqdadiyah) north of Baghdad.

- A US soldier was killed, four were injured in an attack in Baghdad.

- A senior army officer, Kareem Abdul Hussain, was assassinated in Afak, Al-Diwaniyah.

- 11 bodies of Iraqis executed by death squads were found in Baghdad.

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The Iraqi newspaper, Sotaliraq, reported the following deaths of 36 Iraqis today, who were not mentioned above.

- 4 civilians were killed in Babil.

- An army officer and his son were assassinated.

- 4 people were killed and a fifth was injured in an attack in Balad Rose, south of Ba'aqouba.

- 9 Iraqis were killed, 19 were injured in a bomb explosion in Al-Mansour area, west of Baghdad.

- 2 people were killed, four were injured in a mortar attack in Samarra.

- An Iraqi belonging to the Sadr Bloc was assassinated in Samawa by two people wearing police uniform.

- 14 gunmen were killed by US forces, 17 were arrested in Diyala and Kirkuk.

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The US news agency, AP, reported the deaths of 10 Iraqis today, all of whom were mentioned above.

AP Headline: Iraq: Bicycle bomb strikes, 5 dead

By SINAN SALAHUDDIN Associated Press Writer

Sep 16, 2007, 7:27 AM EDT

BAGHDAD (AP) --

A booby-trapped bicycle exploded near a cafe serving tea and food during Ramadan fasting hours Sunday, killing at least five people in northern Iraq, police said.

Separately, a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq fighter believed responsible for the assassination of a U.S.-allied Sunni sheik was arrested north of the capital, the military said Sunday.

The late morning attack in Tuz Khormato, 130 miles north of Baghdad.

Witnesses said a boy left the bicycle bomb near the cafe, which was located in a popular market and was one of the few open during daylight hours despite Ramadan. Muslims are required to abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset during the monthlong observance.

Two of those killed were in the cafe, while three were in the market, police chief Capt. Abbas Mohammed said. He said 19 people were wounded.

It was the deadliest violence in a day that included a car bomb that killed one in western Baghdad, a mortar shell in eastern Baghdad that also killed one, and the shooting death of a police officer south of the capital. Attackers blew up a school in Qarah Tappa, 70 miles north of Baqouba, days before final exams were to be held.

The bloodshed was a blow to government hopes that a peaceful Ramadan would demonstrate the success of the seven-month operation in the capital.

Internal Shi'i clashes broke out at a market in the Hamzah al-Gharbi area near Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, when shop owners from the Albu Jassim tribe fought back against militia fighters, leaving one civilian dead, a provincial police official said. The bullet-riddled bodies of a traffic police chief and his 11-year-old son also were found after they were kidnapped during the fighting, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

Iraqis in the predominantly Shi'i area of Shaab in eastern Baghdad also rallied to demand that the government intervene to stop U.S.-led raids in the area. Demonstrators burned the American flag and changed anti-U.S. slogans, but no violence was reported.

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Associated Press writer Hamid Ahmed contributed to this report.

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