A wave of bombings and shootings across

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 ...

killed at least 75 people and injured more than 356 others on 15 April. The attacks came just days before the provincial elections which was held on 20 April.

Background

Violence in Iraq had decreased since its peak in 2006–07, but attacks remained common. Deaths rose in 2012 for the first time in three years. In the months leading up to the 20 April provincial elections, the first since the withdrawal of US forces in 2011, tensions were high in Iraq as

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

groups claimed they were being marginalized by Prime Minister

Nouri al-Maliki Nouri Kamil Muhammad-Hasan al-Maliki (; born 20 June 1950), also known as Jawad al-Maliki (), is an Iraqi politician and leader of the Islamic Dawa Party since 2007. He served as the Prime Minister of Iraq from 2006 to 2014 and as Vice President ...

Shiite Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

dominated government. A number of large scale attacks linked to the Sunni umbrella group

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 ...

were carried out in early 2013 in an attempt to destabilize the country ahead of the elections. At least fourteen election candidates have been murdered, while Anbar and Nineveh provinces have postponed elections because of security concerns. Four other provinces are not scheduled to hold elections on 20 April.

Attacks

The series of attacks began during the morning early rush hour and encompassed more than 40 incidents in and around 20 cities, the majority of them being car bombings. Both Sunni and Shia areas were targeted in the attacks. Initially no group claimed responsibility for the wave of violence. In the capital

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

, two car bombs exploded at a heavily guarded checkpoint at the entrance to

Baghdad International Airport Baghdad International Airport , previously Saddam International Airport from 1982 to 2003, () is Iraq's largest international airport, located in a suburb about west of downtown Baghdad in the Baghdad Governorate. It is the home base for Ira ...

, killing 3 and injuring 16 others. A blast in Kamaliyah killed 4 and injured 13, while a bombing at a market and a bus station in Umm al-Maalif killed 4 and injured 15. Twin blasts in Habibiya and

Karrada Karrada district ( ''Karrāda'') is a large district in the city of Baghdad, Iraq. An upper-class district, it is divided into western ( Karkh) and eastern side ( Rusafa) by the Tigris, known as Karrada Maryam and Eastern Karrada respectively. ...

killed 4 and injured 24 others, while a car bomb in Shurta killed 2 and injured 9. A roadside bombing wounded 5 policemen in Baladiyat. In the ethnically divided city of

Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...

, a series of six car bombs left 9 people dead and 79 others injured. The attacks took place in three different neighborhoods in the center of the city – one predominantly Arab, one Kurdish, and one Turkmen. Militants also shot and injured a local doctor. At least three car bombs exploded in

Tuz Khurmatu Tuz Khurmatu (, , , also spelled as Tuz Khurma and Tuz Khormato) is the central city of Tooz District in Saladin Governorate, Iraq, located south of Kirkuk. Its inhabitants are predominantly Shia Turkmen, with a minority of Arabs and Sunni ...

, a city at north of Baghdad, killing six and leaving 67 others injured. In

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

, unidentified gunmen shot and killed a married couple and another civilian. A soldier was killed in another shootout with suspected insurgents, while 3 police officers and 2 civilians were injured in roadside bombings. An additional bombing inside the city resulted in no casualties. A bombing at a local political office in

Tikrit Tikrit ( ) is a city in Iraq, located northwest of Baghdad and southeast of Mosul on the Tigris River. It is the administrative center of the Saladin Governorate. In 2012, it had a population of approximately 160,000. Originally created as a f ...

killed 4 and wounded 3 others, while a later blast at a checkpoint injured 13 policemen. A blast in

Ad-Dawr Ad-Dawr () is a small agricultural town in Saladin Governorate, Iraq, near Tikrit. It includes a great number of people from four tribes, al-Shuwaykhat, al-Mawashet, al-Bu Haydar and al-Bu Mdallal. Al-Mawashet tribe is famous for supporting Saddam ...

also injured 13 people, while 7 others were wounded after a bombing at a politician's home in a village in

Saladin Governorate The Saladin, Salah ad Din, or Salah Al-Din Governorate (, ) is one of Iraq's 19 governorates, north of Baghdad. It has an area of , with an estimated population of 1,042,200 people in 2003. It is made up of 8 districts, with the capital being T ...

. In the town of Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad, gunmen shot and killed a police officer. Another officer was killed by a sticky bomb in Buhriz. A roadside bombing in

Al Khalis Al Khalis (''Khalis'' or ''Khales'') () is a town in Diyala, Iraq, roughly 15 kilometers (9 mi) northwest of Baqubah. It is the main town of Khalis Arfan District. The Khalis Arfan district previously housed the Mujahedin-e Khalq (PMOI ...

killed a young child and injured 8 others. A car bombing in

Muqdadiyah Miqdadiyah (; , Şareban (Shareban, Sharaban)) is a city in the Diyala Governorate of Iraq. Its population is a mix of Arab, Kurds, Kurdish and Iraqi Turkmen, Turkmen. The city is located about 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Baghdad and 30 k ...

injured seven people. Five people were wounded in two separate blasts in

Baqubah Baqubah (; BGN: Ba‘qūbah; also spelled Baquba and Baqouba) is the capital of Iraq's Diyala Governorate. The city is located some to the northeast of Baghdad, on the Diyala River. In 2003 it had an estimated population of some 280,000 people. ...

, including two policemen. A roadside bomb injured a civilian on a rural road outside Khan Bani Saad. A bombing in Tal Abta killed a police officer and injured two others. Unidentified gunmen killed a captain and injured 2 soldiers in Sabeen, as well as a young man in Shirqat. In

Fallujah Fallujah ( ) is a city in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. Situated on the Euphrates, Euphrates River, it is located roughly to the west of the capital city of Baghdad and from the neighboring city of Ramadi. The city is located in the region ...

, a suicide car bomber killed 2 policemen and injured 6 others at a checkpoint, while a sticky bomb killed 2 civilians. Unidentified gunmen shot dead another civilian, while a bombing south of the city resulted in no casualties. A blast in

Ramadi Ramadi ( ''Ar-Ramādī''; also formerly rendered as ''Rumadiyah'' or ''Rumadiya'') is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad and west of Fallujah. It is the capital and largest city of Al Anbar Governorate which shares borders with Syri ...

targeted a local Sunni cleric, killing 2 of his bodyguards and injuring another. At least 19 civilians were injured in two car bombs that struck near

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 ...

in Iraq's

Babil Governorate Babylon Governorate or Babil Province ( ''Muḥāfaẓa Bābil'') is a governorates of Iraq, governorate in central Iraq. It has an area of , The population in Babil for 2023 is 1,820,700. The provincial capital is the city of Al Hillah, Hillah, ...

. In the southern city of

Nasiriyah Nasiriyah ( , ; , BGN: , ), also spelled Nassiriya or Nasiriya, is a city in Iraq, the capital of the Dhi Qar Governorate. It lies on the lower Euphrates, about south-southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. Its po ...

a car bomb was detonated near a market, killing 2 and injuring 14 others. On 16 April police officials in Kirkuk announced they had arrested a group of five individuals who were involved in the bombings in that city. Another eight people suspected of involvement were arrested by a joint army and police force in

Diyala Governorate Diyala Governorate ( ) or Diyala Province is a Governorates of Iraq, governorate in northeastern Iraq. Provincial Government *Governor: Muthanna al-Tamimi *Deputy Governor: Mohammed Jassim al-Jubouri Council Geography Diyala Governorate ...

. Elsewhere, the violence continued. In Aziziyah, a city south of Baghdad a car bomb killed at least four people on 16 April, and left 15 others injured. In

Mussayib Musayyib () is an increasing majority Shia Arab town in the Babil Province, Iraq. As of 2018, its population was 57,300. Musayyib sits on both the east and west banks of the Euphrates River, which splits into the Hindiya and Hilla branches just s ...

, another southern city, a roadside bomb killed a soldier and injured two other people. Another bomb killed a civilian and wounded two others north of Baghdad. Three injuries were also reported in Tarmiyah.

Reactions

Domestic

Sadrist Movement The Sadrist Movement ( ') is an Iraqi Shi'a Islamic national movement and political party, led by Muqtada al-Sadr. The Sadrist Movement ended as largest political party in the October 2021 Iraqi parliamentary election, with 73 seats in Parliamen ...

– A statement released by

Muqtada al-Sadr Muqtada al-Sadr (; born 4 August 1974) is an Iraqi Shia Muslim cleric, politician and militia leader. He inherited the leadership of the Sadrist Movement from his father, and founded the now dissolved Mahdi Army militia in 2003 that resisted ...

condemned the attacks, but also accused the current cabinet of not doing enough to protect civilians and being too preoccupied with campaigning for the upcoming elections.

International

* –

High Representative The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP) is the chief co-ordinator and representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) within the European U ...

Catherine Ashton Catherine Margaret Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland (born 20 March 1956) is a Labour Party (UK), British Labour politician who served as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of th ...

released a statement, condemning "in the strongest terms" the series of attacks, as well as the recent spate of violence targeting local politicians and election candidates. * –

Foreign Ministry In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral re ...

spokesman Philippe Lalliot offered condolences to the victims and "strongly condemned" the attacks in a briefing, while reaffirming France's position on national unity and a rejection of violence. * – A

spokesman condemned the attacks. * –

Press Secretary Yutaka Yokoi released a statement, condemning the "atrocious acts of terrorism" and offering condolences to the people affected. The statement added that Japan hopes the Iraqi government and its people can "tackle their domestic problems through further progress in national reconciliation" despite the attacks. * –

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

Nabih Berri Nabih Mustafa Berri ( ; born 28 January 1938) is a Lebanese politician who has been serving as Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon since 1992. He heads the Amal Movement and its parliamentary wing, Development and Liberation Bloc. Early lif ...

phoned Prime Minister al-Maliki and "expressed condemnation" at the series of attacks across Iraq. * – The

issued a statement, condemning the attacks.

References