11 Iraqi civilians - most women and children - died when a house was bombed during a U.S. raid north of Baghdad early Wednesday, police and relatives told the AP. The U.S. army stated it was targeting an al-Qaeda site.
Elsewhere, a suicide bomber on a bicycle missed a police patrol and killed at least two civilians Wednesday in Bagouba north of Baghdad, police said. Six others were injured in this attack, police said.
On Tuesday, Iraqi authorities have discovered at least 87 corpses. 29 of the bodies, dressed only in underwear, were dug out of a single grave Tuesday in a Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad.
Underlining the trouble in the Iraqi capital, the Interior Ministry declared a driving ban, from 8 p.m. Wednesday to 4 p.m. Thursday to prevent car and suicide bombs while the Iraqi parliament meets for the first session since the Dec. 15 election.
After the driving ban was announced, the Cabinet said Thursday would be a holiday in the capital.
On Tuesday, the American army reported the deaths of two troops in fighting in Anbar province. The soldiers died Monday, the Associated Press reported.
Rally
At least 2,500 Shiite, Sunni, Christian and Kurdish Iraqis demonstrated on Tuesday in two separate protests in response to ongoing sectarian violence which has taken the lives of a growing number of Iraqi security forces and civilians in recent weeks.
The demonstrations, which took place in Mosul and Baghdad, followed the discovery of almost 90 bodies which had been dumped throughout Baghdad, and the deaths of at least 500 since February 22, when a Shiite shrine was bombed in the city of Samarra.
"Someone should do something to stop the killing of innocent people, including children," said Muhammad Shukry, of the Peace for Life Organization, one of the local NGO's that organized the demonstration, according to Reuters.
Mahmoud Zein, also a protest organizer told reporters, "We have to open our eyes and prevent this dastardly game from continuing."
"We are here today from different areas, representing different beliefs, but with the same goals: peace and prosperity for our families and the country," Zein said.
Many of the dumped bodies had apparently been killed execution style, and dumped in mass graves. Some had been hung, shot, or strangled.
Also in a rare show of unity, religious leaders from both various sects marched together in Baghdad's demonstration.
"We shouldn't blame ourselves for the ongoing violence," said Shiite Sheikh Ali Obaid. "Instead of fanning it, we should fight to end it," he added.
As a result of continued violence, Iraqi authorities decided to extend a curfew in Baghdad already in place.
© 2006 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
