The 9 September 2012 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 south of the
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
. At least 108 people were killed and 371 injured in the first major insurgent action since a similar wave of violence
almost a month earlier.
Background
The attacks occurred about nine 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 ...
. Several major attacks took place in the months of June, July and August, following a statement released by
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 ...
to announce the start of a new "offensive".
During the afternoon, fugitive Iraqi
Vice President
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
Tariq al-Hashimi
Tariq al-Hashimi (; born 1942) is an Iraqi politician who served as the general secretary of the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP) until May 2009. He served as the Vice President of Iraq from 2006 to 2012. As a Sunni, he took the place of fellow Sunni ...
and his son-in-law were sentenced to death ''in absentia'' based on the verdict of the
Central Criminal Court of Iraq that found him guilty of two murders.
Abdul Sattar al-Berqdar, a spokesman for Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, said that Hashimi was sentenced to hang "because he was involved directly in killing a female lawyer and a general with the Iraqi army."
A third charge against Hashimi was dismissed for lack of evidence.
The death sentences are not final, and can be appealed within 30 days.
A political ally of Hashimi criticized the ruling, saying that the trial was not fair because Hashimi was not in
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 ...
to defend himself. A lawmaker in
Iraqiya
The Iraqi National Movement (INM) (Arabic: الحركة الوطنية العراقية ''al-Ḥaraka al-Waṭaniya al-Iraqiyya''), more commonly known as the al-Iraqiya List, was an Iraqi political coalition formed to contest the 2010 parliament ...
, Nada al-Jbouri, criticized the timing of the sentence, which occurred as "Iraq is preparing for a big national reconciliation in the near future in order to achieve stability in this country."
Soon after the verdict was made public, a series of at least five car bombings shook mostly Shi'ite areas of the capital Baghdad, killing 32 and injuring 102 others.
Iraqi sources later revised the death toll to at least 51.
Attacks
Numerous attacks were conducted within hours of each other on 9 September 2012 across Baghdad and several provinces in Iraq.
* An explosion in
Tal Afar
Tal Afar (, ; ) is a city in the Nineveh Governorate of northwestern Iraq, located west of Mosul, east of Sinjar[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 ...]
killed at least 7 and injured 17 others, most of them police recruits. Earlier in the day, two car bombs and an IED blast killed seven and injured at least 40 others. Roadside blasts in the Sunni towns of Hawija and Ar Riyad nearby injured at least 7.
* A car bomb exploded next to a market 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 ...
, killing four and injuring 41.
* Insurgents attacked a small
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 ...
base near
Dujail
Dujail (; alternate spelling: Ad Dujayl) is a town in Saladin Governorate, Iraq. It is about north of Baghdad. It was the site of the 1982 Dujail Massacre, in which between 142 and 148 people, including children, died.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 ...
, just north of the capital, killed 2 civilians and injured 11 others.
* Roadside bombs in
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 ...
killed 2 people and injured 8 others, including four soldiers. After the death sentence to Tariq al-Hashimi was announced, a series of at least 5 car bombs exploded in mostly Shi'ite neighborhoods, targeting restaurants, cafes and commercial areas. Initial reports indicated at least 32 dead and 102 injured, although Iraqi sources later revised the death toll to at least 51.
* A pair of car bombs in
Amarah
Amarah (), also spelled Amara, is a city in south-eastern Iraq, located on a low ridge next to the Tigris River waterway south of Baghdad about 50 km (31 mi) from the border with Iran. It lies at the northern tip of the marshlands between ...
killed 16 people and wounded around 100 others outside a Shi'ite shrine. After the local hospital quickly became overwhelmed, residents were forced to use the mosque's loudspeakers, usually reserved for the call to prayer, to ask for blood donations.
* A car bomb exploded near the French Consulate in
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 ...
, killing an Iraqi policeman and injuring four passers-by. A second blast in the city killed 2 and injured 3 others.
* A bombing in
Basra
Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...
killed 3 and left 24 wounded.
In total, at least 108 were killed and 371 injured across the country.
Perpetrators
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 attacks in a statement posted online, saying they were in response to the "campaign of extermination and torture of Sunni Muslim detainees in Safavid prisons". The Iraqi government executed at least 26 people in August, many of them on terrorism charges.
Reactions
Domestic
* A statement by Iraq's
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 ...
blamed al-Qaeda for the onslaught, saying "the attacks today on the markets and mosques are (intended) to provoke sectarian and political tensions," and adding that the "war against terrorism is continuing, and we are ready."
International
* The French
Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said it "condemns with the greatest severity" the wave of attacks, especially the incident outside the honorary consulate in Nasiriyah.
[
]
See also
* List of terrorist incidents, July–December 2012
* Iraqi insurgency (post U.S. withdrawal)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iraq Attacks, 2012
2012 murders in Iraq
Bombings in the Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013)
Islamic terrorist incidents in 2012
Mass murder in 2012
Suicide car and truck bombings in Iraq
Spree shootings in Iraq
Car and truck bombings in Iraq
Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2012
Violence against Shia Muslims in Iraq
Terrorist incidents in Baghdad in the 2010s
September 2012 in Iraq
2012 in Baghdad
21st century in Basra
History of Nasiriyah
21st century in Nineveh Governorate
History of Kirkuk Governorate
History of Saladin Governorate
21st-century mass murder in Baghdad
September 2012 crimes in Asia
Crime in Nineveh Governorate
Terrorist incidents in Basra