The 19 March 2013 Iraq attacks were a series of coordinated bombings and shootings across 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 ...

and several major cities in the north and central parts of the country. At least 98 people were killed and more than 240 others injured in the wave of violence, which took place on the tenth anniversary of the beginning of the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

Background

The attacks occurred on the 10th anniversary of the

, and about sixteen months following the withdrawal of the United States military forces from the area, leaving the security of the country in the hands of the

Iraqi security forces The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) is a term used by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to describe law enforcement and military forces of the federal government of the Republic of Iraq. During the Iraq War, these entities received trainin ...

. Violence slightly rose during 2012, with militant groups averaging about one major attack every month. In addition, the country was in the midst of major protests by the Sunni population that began in December 2012. On 25 January 2013, the demonstrations against the government of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

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 ...

turned deadly 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 ...

, as soldiers opened fire on a crowd of rock-throwing demonstrators, killing 7 and injuring more than 70 others. Three soldiers were later shot to death in retaliation for the incident, and clashes erupted in the city. On 14 February

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

called on Iraqi authorities to complete and announce the results of the ongoing parliamentary committee and the Defense Ministry investigations into the Fallujah shootings. On 8 March

Iraqi Police The Iraqi Police (IP) is the uniformed police force responsible for the enforcement of civil law in Iraq. Its organisation, structure and recruitment were guided by the Coalition Provisional Authority after the 2003 American invasion of Iraq, ...

forces shot at protesters in Mosul, killing three and injuring nine others. In response to this, Agriculture Minister Izz al-Din al-Dawla announced his resignation, while Parliament Speaker

Usama al-Nujayfi Osama Abdul Aziz al-Nujaifi (; born c. 1956) is an Iraqi politician and served as one of the three vice presidents of the country, from 2014 to 2015 and 2016 to 2018. As the speaker of the Council of Representatives, the informal leader of the mo ...

called on other Sunni officials to follow suit.

Attacks

Numerous attacks were conducted within hours of each other on 19 March 2013 across Baghdad, Mosul and several smaller cities in Iraq. * In the capital

the string of attacks began around 8:00 AM local time, with blasts in the Mashtal and

New Baghdad New Baghdad or Baghdad Al-Jidida () is one of nine administrative districts in Baghdad, Iraq. This district has eight Neighborhood Advisory Councils (NAC) and a District Advisory Council. It is located east of the city center. This district was r ...

neighborhoods that killed eight and left 20 others injured. A bomb at the Ministry of Labor in Qahira killed seven and wounded 21, while another blast at a restaurant near the entrance to the

Green Zone The Green Zone () is the most common name for the International Zone of Baghdad. It is a area in the Karkh, Karkh district of central Baghdad, Iraq. It is the chief government precinct and the seat of the Iraqi government. History Pre-200 ...

left six dead and 15 injured. At least seven car bombs were detonated and a number of shootings took place in

Kadhimiya Kadhimiya (, ) or Kadhimayn () is a northern neighbourhood of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It is about from the city's center, on the west bank of the Tigris. 'Kadhimiya' is also the name of one of nine administrative districts in Baghdad. As th ...

, Zafraniya and Husseiniya, killing 28 and wounding 70. The sprawling

Sadr City Sadr City (), formerly known as Al-Thawra () and Saddam City (), is a suburb district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It was built in 1959 by Prime Minister of Iraq, Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim, Abdul Karim Qassim and named Al-Rafidain Distric ...

slum was a target as well – sticky bombs killed four civilians, an IED killed two others, while car bomb attacks against security forces killed six and injured 22 others. * Just south of the capital, two car bombs at a checkpoint and a bus stop in

Iskandariya Al-Iskandariya or Alexandria () is an ancient city in central Iraq, one of a number of towns in the Near East founded by and named after Alexander the Great (''Al-Iskandar'' in Arabic). It is a majority Shia Arab district including Musayyib an ...

killed eight and wounded eight others. A similar attack in Mahmoudiyah left five dead and ten injured. Mortar strikes in

Taji Taji or Al-Taji () is a rural town around 30 kilometers (18 mi) north of the city of Baghdad, within Baghdad Governorate and Salah ad Din Governorate.https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Taji,+Saladin+Governorate,+Iraq/@33.4950697,44.0776712,11 ...

Haditha Haditha (, ''al-Ḥadīthah'') is a town in the Al Anbar Governorate, about northwest of Baghdad. It is a farming town situated on the Euphrates River. Its population of around 46,500 people, predominantly Sunni Muslim Arabs. The town lies near ...

and Haswa killed five and injured eight others. Car bombings 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. ...

Musayyib 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 ...

and Tarmiyah killed four and injured at least ten others. * In Iraq's north, a suicide bomber assassinated a local police chief and two of his bodyguards 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 ...

, while injuring seven others. Another bombing in the city left three civilians dead and five injured, while a tribal chief was gunned down near his home in nearby Noor. Roadside blasts 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 two policemen and left two others injured. Another officer died and two were injured in similar attacks in

Sinjar Sinjar (; , ) is a town in the Sinjar District of the Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq. It is located about five kilometers south of the Sinjar Mountains. Its population in 2013 was estimated at 88,023, and is predominantly Yazidi. History ...

and

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 ...

. In

Tuz Khormato 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 Iraqi Turkmen, Turkmen, with a minority of Arabs ...

, gunmen blew up a grocery store, killing two and injuring four others. A car bomb in

Baiji The baiji (''Lipotes vexillifer'') is a probably extinct species of freshwater dolphin native to the Yangtze river system in China. It is thought to be the first dolphin species driven to extinction due to the impact of humans. This dolphin is ...

killed a police officer and injured 11 civilians, mostly students, while an intelligence official was gunned down in

Tel Keppe Tel Keppe ( ', ', alternatively spelled Tel Kaif, Tilkepe, or Telkef) is a town in northern Iraq. It is located in the Nineveh Governorate, less than 8 mi (13 km) northeast of Mosul.Welcome to Tel Keppe at ChaldeansOnline http://www.cha ...

Perpetrators

On 20 March, the

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 ...

claimed responsibility for the wave of attacks in a statement published on a militant website. The group said the violence was in response to "the executions and massacres of convicted Sunni inmates" held in Iraqi prisons and warned the government to stop with the practice or "expect more bad events ... and seas of blood".

Reactions

Domestic

* –

Interior Ministry An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

spokesperson Col. Saad Maan announced a large-scale investigation of the attacks on 20 March, saying that government forces "will not give up their responsibility and duty to fight terrorism" and promising "a swift and painful reaction" against the groups involved.

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

Saleh al-Mutlaq Saleh Muhammed al-Mutlaq (; born 1 July 1947) is an Iraqi politician who is the head of the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, the fifth largest political list in Iraq's parliament. From 21 December 2010 to 11 August 2015, he was one of the thre ...

asked people to "show compassion towards their brothers, the families of the victims, and help security forces in their effort" against terrorism.

International

* –

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 Hong Lei said his country condemned the attacks, adding that the Chinese government hoped that the "relevant parties can strengthen their unity in order to safeguard and promote the stability and development of Iraq". * –

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 ...

condemned the "unacceptable" attacks, adding that Iraqis need to "remain steadfast in their continued rejection of attempts by extremists to undermine the security and stability of their country". She also called on the Iraqi government and all leaders to engage in "genuine" dialogue in order to solve the problems facing the country.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iraq attacks 2013 murders in Iraq Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2013 Mass murder in 2013 Suicide bombings in Iraq Car and truck bombings in Iraq Islamic terrorist incidents in 2013 Spree shootings in Iraq Violence against Shia Muslims in Iraq Terrorist incidents in Baghdad in the 2010s March 2013 in Iraq 2013 in Baghdad History of Al Anbar Governorate History of Babylon Governorate Terrorist incidents in Sadr City History of Baghdad Governorate History of Saladin Governorate 2013 in Diyala Governorate Bombings in the Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013) Military history of Tikrit Military history of Diyala Governorate