THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

To anyone who has a local small market paper, this may look like a rundown of last weeks activity involving the local police dept. This is one day in Iraq.

Baghdad

- Around 8 a.m., a suicide truck (Hino) driver led his car near a petrol station at Al-Meda'en, but the police commandos of the checkpoint in the neighborhood exploded the truck with the suicide driver inside who was killed at the explosion . No casualties recorded.

- Around 9 a.m., a roadside bomb exploded at Amiriya neighborhood targeting civilians. Among the injured civilians was Iraqi vice president Tariq al Hashimi's son.

- Around 11 a.m., a roadside bomb exploded without any casualties when an American patrol passed by the commercial street in Saidiya neighborhood.

- Around 12 p.m., a roadside bomb exploded in Baladiyat neighborhood when an American patrol passed in the area. No casualties were recorded.

- Around 5:00 p.m., a roadside bomb detonated in Abu Ghraib targeting an Iraqi army convoy. One Iraqi soldier was injured.

- Around 4:30 p.m., two mortar shells landed in the Green Zone, causing unknown causalities.

- Around 5 p.m. gunmen raided citizen Qassim Sweedan's house in the Latifia area and bombed it. There were no casualties.

- Around 5 p.m., gunmen opened fire on civilians in Aadhamiya, killing two and injuring one.

- Around 5 p.m., a mortar shell landed in al Madaen, injuring one resident.

- Police found 17 dead bodies throughout the capital today. Four in Baia, four in Amil, one in Saidiyah, one in Mahmoudiya, two in Hurriya, two in Khadra, one in Aadhamiya, two in Doura.

Salahuddin

- Early in the morning, gunmen bombed the house of Asad's Ali brother after forcing the family to evacuate the house in Hay al-Sikak in south Samara (north of Baghdad). Asad Ali is the chairman of Samara municipality.

Diyala

- A roadside bomb exploded in al Saadiyah town of Khaniqeen. The blast killed two women, and two civilians were injured.

- A roadside bomb exploded near a civilian car in al Muqdadiyah city, al Wajihiya town, killing two civilians and injuring three.

- Police men clashed with gunmen in central Baqouba today when the gunmen tried to kidnap a citizen. Two gunmen were killed and one was detained.

- Police found one dead body in Baqouba city.

- Health officials in Baqouba hospital said the hospital received one injured man. His injuries were caused by an attack by gunmen in the suburbs of the city.

Basra

- At dawn, a roadside bomb exploded when a British vehicle passed through Timimiya neighborhood (near Ashar) in downtown Basra (in southern Iraq ) causing some damage to the vehicle but no casualties.

- A British patrol recently found a trench filled with ammunition north of Zubair (35 km west of Basra ) including 20 mortar shells, 30 artillery shells and two grenades.

I guess that for the folks over there, this is normal nowadays.