Bombs Rock Baghdad Shi’ite Neighborhoods, Over 80 Killed

Death Toll Continues to Rise as Parliament Leaders Slam Govt

After a few days of relative calm the growing sectarian civil war in Iraq is back up and running with over a dozen bombings hitting Shi’ite neighborhoods across the capital city of Baghdad, killing more than 80 people and wounding nearly 200 others.

The blasts centered around crowded marketplaces and shopping centers in Shi’ite neighborhoods. At least one of the attacks targeted traffic police, causing a car accident then fleeing the scene before the car exploded.

So far no group has claimed credit for the attacks, which are seen as a continuation of a solid week of strikes that killed over 400 people last week. The overall toll for May is now well worse than April’s 460 killed, which was the highest toll since Summer of 2008.

The attacks have sparked growing criticism of the Maliki government’s inability to provide security, with Parliamentary speaker Osama al-Nujaifi demanding specific details explaining the recent security failures.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.