Insurgents Raise Islamic State of Iraq Flag After Attack on Baghdad Neighborhood

At Least 23 Iraqi Security Forces Killed in Attacks

by Jason Ditz, July 29, 2010

n an interview recorded yesterday and broadcast this morning, Vice President Joe Biden declared that he was willing to “bet everything” that there would be no explosion of sectarian violence in Iraq. Hours after the broadcast, there was an explosion of sectarian violence in Iraq.

Sunni militants allied with the al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) umbrella group The Islamic State of Iraq launched coordinated attacks on soldiers loyal to the Shi’ite dominated government in a Sunni neighborhood of the capital city of Baghdad, sparking hours of gunbattles which ultimately some 23 security forces killed.

The battle left the militants briefly in control of the neighborhood, during which time they burned the bodies of several of the slain soldiers as well as police vehicles. The militants also raised the flag of the Islamic State of Iraq over the neighborhood, exalting in their brief conquest of the neighborhood.

Government troops have since reconquered the area, and witnesses are reporting the mass arrest of young Sunni residents of the neighborhood. A curfew has also been declared across the region until further notice, and the Army has announced “tight security measures” to be taken in the future.

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