July was the deadliest month for Iraq in several years, with well over 1,000 people killed in daily attacks. Today saw another string of bombings focused on the capital city, suggesting August will be a continuation of the ever-worsening trend.
Today’s bombings saw at least 57 killed and 161 others wounded in attacks, and expectations that security is going to get worse as Ramadan’s final week comes to an end.
Iraq’s surge of violence began in late April with a military crackdown on protesters, and at this point seems to be on the verge of another full-scale sectarian civil war, with al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) enjoying a dual resurgence from the neighboring war in Syria and the tension between the Maliki government and the nation’s Sunni minority.
As is so often the case in Baghdad, the bombings targeted Shi’ite neighborhoods, and focused in particular on cafes and marketplaces where shoppers were buying food for breaking the Ramadan fast.