Such stories have become largely unsurprising since the March 7 election, but once again Iraq has seen its deadliest month of the year and a civilian death toll that more than doubled the previous year.
Overall, 275 civilians were reported killed according to numbers furnished by the Iraqi government, and another 520 were wounded. This was slightly more than the tolls for April.
Much of the toll came on May 10, when a string of bombings killed at least 154 people and wounded over 600. This number includes a significant number of killed and wounded security forces as well as civilians.
There has been rising sectarian tension since the March 7 election, which saw a secular party win a narrow plurality leading to months of challenges by the sitting Shi’ite dominated government. Though Iraq’s Supreme Court has finally certified the vote, there likely will not be a new government for weeks or months, and even once there is, resentment will likely linger.