The Week in Iraq

Another sad week ends in Iraq

by Lily Hamourtziadou

6 Aug 2006

The week started with 23 civilian deaths on Monday 31 July, and ended with 47 civilian deaths reported today.

In the meantime, on Wednesday 2 August 12 people were killed during a football match, among them 7 children, when bombs exploded. On Friday 4 August a pregnant woman on her way to give birth along with her husband were blown up in the taxi they travelled in. The week ended on a particularly tragic note, when 15 people were blown up by a suicide bomber at a funeral in Tikrit, this evening at 8:15 local time.
Following that incident, it was reported that during a 2-hour operation US and Iraqi troops attacked civilian targets in Baghad, leaving 3 people dead, including a woman and a 3-year-old girl.

The above deaths were just a fraction of the overall bodycount for the week. The outlook for the following week is bleak, as there is still no news of the 45 civilians who were kidnapped last Tuesday 1 August. They may be among the dozens of victims that are found tortured and shot every week around Baghdad or in the Tigris river.