US led Invasion Anniversary drenched in blood

Had Baghdad seen enough? Hasn’t Iraq already witnessed more than its share of bloodshed and violence.

Yes, it’s true that the regular bloodshed and violence may have decreased in Iraq since the peak of protests in 2006 and 2007 but bombings are still common. And the recent attack on Baghdad was clearly an attempt to foil the peacemakers’ attempts! The 10th anniversary of the US led invasion that caused the fall of Saddam Hussein became the deadliest day in Iraq’s history in the last six months.

After the campaign that toppled Saddam Hussein from power and led to the destruction of the country’s political, military and security structure, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki faced protests from the Sunni community. He was supposed to have majority from the Shia community and was at odds with the Kurds.

Reportedly, up to 60 people lost their lives in a series of car bombing and suicide bombings mainly in Shia areas in Iraq’s capital Baghdad. The Sunni Islamist militants linked it to terrorist organization Al-Qaeda who had vowed to step up attacks on Shia targets. Being a serious issue over security reasons, the elections in Iraq are postponed.

According to the police reports, more than 150 people are injured with around 15 car bombings, several suicide bombings and shooting. Most of the attacks took place in Shia district of Husseiniya, Zafaraniya, Shula and Utafiya, as well as the Sunni district of Tarmiya during the morning rush hours. The series of bomb blasts reported are:

Residents gather at the site of a car bomb attack in the AL-Mashtal district in Baghdad

  • First at 8 in the morning, a bomb exploded outside the restaurant in Baghdad’s Mashtal neighborhood killing four people and damaging several cars.
  • Just after a few minutes two people were killed when a roadside bomb hit a gathering area of labourers in the New Baghdad area.
  • In the district of Sadr City, five people lost their lives when a bomb was detonated beside a police patrol area and three commuters killed when a bomb exploded in a minibus.
  • The deadliest of all attacks took place near the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs killing seven people and leaving 21 severely injured.
  • Another six people died and 15 people were hurt when a bomb exploded in a green zone with government offices and embassies of other countries.
  • A suicide bomber targeted a bus stop in Iskandariya, killing five people.

BUILDING EXPLODES IN PRESIDENTIAL PALACE COMPOUND DURING AIR RAID ON BAGHDAD.

There have also been reports of weapon firing in the northern province of Kirkuk. After the attacks, Baghdad has heightened the security with many new checkpoints and road blockings. Even the government vehicles are being checked, which were previously passed without interrupting.

 

The attacks are properly planned to coincide with the invasion anniversary that includes no groups other than the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Qaeda in Iraq.  This is a deep political crisis, with the prime minister sharply going into odds with many political groups.

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