Iraq War timeline Dec. 26 - Jan. 1, 2005

December 26 Baghdad * Two US pilots are killed when their helicopter crashes. * Three people are killed when a suicide car bomber slams into a police patrol. * At least two people are killed when a suicide motorcycle bomber rams into a Shiite funeral ceremony. * Two people are killed by a mortar fired into a predominantly Shiite neighborhood. * Four car bombs kill at least two people. * A US soldier is killed by a rocket-propelled grenade. Buhriz * Five police officers are killed and four are wounded by gunmen who attack a checkpoint. Dhabab * Five Iraqi soldiers are killed in separate, but apparently coordinated attacks. Diyala * A bodyguard for the governor of the province is killed by a car bomb. * A member of city council is killed by gunmen. Khalidiyah * A US soldier dies from wounds received from small arms fire. Najaf * A Shiite cleric is gunned down December 27 Hawija * Ten Iraqis suspected of planting explosive devices by a road are killed when US fighter jets drop two 500-pound bombs on them. Kirkuk * A civilian is killed and two employees are wounded when gunmen attack a gas station with rocket-propelled grenades. Mahawil * A policeman is killed and two are wounded by a makeshift bomb targeting their patrol. Najaf * A member of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq dies from wounds sustained in an attack by gunmen. December 28 Baghdad * A major in the former Iraqi army and a person in the car with him are killed by gunmen. * An Interior Ministry official is killed by gunmen. * Four Iraqi prison guards, one interpreter and four prisoners are killed during an attempted breakout that also wounds one US soldier and five prisoners. Falluja * One US soldier dies from wounds caused by small arms fire. Karbala * Thirty-one bodies are unearthed from a mass grave. Samarra * Four mortar rounds land on a police commando headquarters. December 29 Baghdad * Eleven members of a Shiite family are killed by six assailants who break into their house and slit their throats. * A US soldier is killed by a roadside bomb. * Four policemen are killed and five others wounded when a suicide bomber wearing a police uniform blows himself up at a checkpoint. Duluiya * Four suspected insurgents are killed, according to the US military, or three civilians including a woman and a five-year old girl are killed and nine others wounded, according to Iraqi police, when US forces drop a 500-pound bomb on a building. Falluja * The head of a police station is wounded by gunmen. Kirkuk * Two Iraqi soldiers are killed in a bomb blast. Latifiyah * Fourteen Shiite Iraqis are machine-gunned to death. Samarra * Four civilians are killed in a car bomb attack targeting a police patrol. Tikrit * Three people are killed by a missile. December 30 Baghdad * A US soldier is killed by a roadside bomb. * Nine people are killed in a drive-by shooting. * The Sudanese embassy closes in an effort to win the release of six kidnapped employees, including one diplomat. * At least five people are killed and 23 wounded when two mortars land on a busy street. Dujail * Two Iraqi Army captains are gunned down. Iskandariya * A policeman is killed and two others wounded by a roadside bomb targeting their patrol. December 31 Baghdad * One civilian is killed and three others injured when a mortar round hits a house. * Two policemen are killed and four civilians are injured by a roadside bomb. * Four police commandos are wounded by a roadside bomb. * Five members of a Sunni Arab family are killed by gunmen who raid their house. * A US soldier dies from wounds inflicted by a mortar attack. * Two members of a policeman's family, including a young child, are killed by a mortar round. Baiji * One civilian is killed and another injured when a US patrol opens fire after a roadside bomb explodes nearby. Khalis * Five people are killed and two injured by a roadside bomb outside the local headquarters of the Iraqi Islamic Party. Tikrit * Three people including a policeman are kidnapped. January 1 Baghdad * Eight car bombs explode around the city and one police officer is wounded. * Two policemen are killed in an exchange of gunfire with rebels. * Turkey's ambassador to Iraq survives an ambush on his convoy. Baiji * Sixteen civilians are wounded by a car bomb targeting a US patrol. * An Iraqi soldier is killed and an officer wounded in a drive-by shooting. * A bomb sets fire to a major oil pipeline. Baquba * Seven police recruits are killed by a suicide bomber and thirteen other recruits are wounded. Dujail * Two Iraqi soldiers are killed by a roadside bomb. Kirkuk * Three civilians are wounded by a car bomb targeting a police patrol. Mosul * A bystander is killed and three policemen wounded when gunmen attack a police checkpoint. Tikrit * Six civilians are wounded by a suicide car bomber targeting a US patrol. Editors' note: this timeline is only a sample and should by no means be interpreted as complete.