The 10 May 2010 Iraq attacks were a series of

bomb A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

and shooting attacks that occurred in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

on 10 May 2010, killing over 114 people and injuring 350, the highest death toll for a single day in Iraq in 2010.

Background

Following the inconclusive 2010 Iraqi elections, these attacks were believed to be an attempt to further destabilise Iraq. Major General Qassim al-Moussawi, an

Iraqi Army The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), also referred to as the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was formerly known as the Royal Iraq ...

spokesman, gave a statement on 10 May in which he said "Al-Qaeda is trying to ... use some gaps created by some political problems". According to official statistics, violent deaths in Iraq decreased slightly in April 2010 compared with April 2009.

Attacks

There were at least twenty attacks, of which the worst, by death toll, was a series of three or four

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roug ...

s at the 'State Company for Textile Industries' in

Al Hillah Hillah ( ''al-Ḥillah''), also spelled Hilla, is a city in central Iraq. On the Hilla branch of the Euphrates River, it is south of Baghdad. The population was estimated to be about 455,700 in 2018. It is the capital of Babylon Province and is s ...

in central Iraq, approximately from the capital, Baghdad. The first two bombs were in quick succession at about (10:30

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

), followed minutes later by a third. A fourth car bomb targeted the crowd and emergency services at the scene, according to police Captain Ali al-Shimmari. The bombs killed a total of 45 people, leaving 140 wounded. Fallujah, which had previously seen intense battles between insurgents and American troops was targeted with at least two deaths resulting from bomb blasts. There were also attacks in Iskandariya, Mosul, Samarra and Al Tarmia (Tarmiyah). There were multiple shootings across the country, particularly at checkpoints in Baghdad. According to officials, as Baghdad's nightly curfew lifted at 05:00 local time, gunmen disguised as municipal street cleaners attacked 10 police and army checkpoints across the city, killing as many as 9 soldiers and officers, and wounding 24.

Responsibility

While no organization claimed responsibility, Iraqi officials alleged that

Islamic State of Iraq The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI; ') was a Salafi jihadist militant organization that fought the forces of the U.S.-led coalition during the Iraqi insurgency. The organization aimed to overthrow the Iraqi federal government and establish an ...

(ISI) group carried out the attacks in retaliation against the killing of ISI's two high-ranking leaders of U.S. and Iraqi forces.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iraq Attacks, 2010 2010 murders in Iraq Mass murder in 2010 Spree shootings in Iraq Suicide car and truck bombings in Iraq Bombings in the Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) Targeted killing in Iraq Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2010 Terrorist incidents in Baghdad in the 2010s May 2010 in Iraq 21st-century mass murder in Baghdad Building bombings in Iraq 2010 in Baghdad Mosul in the Iraq War Fallujah in the Iraq War Samarra in the Iraq War Babylon Governorate in the Iraq War Baghdad Governorate in the Iraq War Basra in the Iraq War Hillah in the Iraq War Saladin Governorate in the Iraq War Improvised explosive device bombings in Mosul 2010 mass shootings in Asia 2010 building bombings Suicide bombings in 2010 Car and truck bombings in 2010 Violations of medical neutrality during the Iraq War May 2010 crimes in Asia Mass murder in Mosul Terrorist incidents in Basra

Background

Attacks

Responsibility

See also

References