Suicide attacks and car bombs hit 13 cities, 91 dead and 172 wounded
Baghdad (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The toll so far from attacks in 13 Iraqi towns and cities stands at 91 dead and 172 wounded in what experts see as the worse string of attacks and shootings since the start of the year.
The worst-hit place was Taji, a Sunni neighbourhood some 20km (12 miles) north of Baghdad, where at least 24 people were killed.
A car bombing at a government building in the northern Baghdad district of Sadr City killed at least 12 officials and police.
Other attacks were reported in Kirkuk, Dhuluiya (70 km north of Baghdad), Saadiya (Dyala, northeast of the capital), Khan Beni-Saad (Dyala), Tuz Khurmatu (Salah ad-Din) and Dibis (Kirkuk). On Sunday, bombings south of the capital killed at least 17.
The attacks come days after Abu al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Bakr al-Baghdadi announced a new offensive to retake areas the organisation had retreated from before US soldiers left the country last December. "The majority of Sunnis in Iraq support al-Qaeda and are waiting for its return," he claimed in an audio message posted on militant websites.
Still, no one has yet claimed responsibility for the latest attacks.
Terrorists struck police stations, government buildings and checkpoints. In view of the pattern of the violence, Iraqi security forces were the intended targets, analysts say. In fact, in a single incident, 15 soldiers were reportedly killed on a base in Dhuluiya. Since the US pullout, security in the country has been ensured by Iraqi forces.
In the capital, police checkpoints were hit by car bombs, army bases were struck by mortar fire, and one policeman was even attacked in his home.
In Taji, where a string of explosions went off, another explosion struck when police arrived on the scene to help. In all, at least 41 people were killed, including at least 14 police.
Violence dipped in Iraq following an upsurge in 2006 and 2007. However, it has now returned after the US pullout in a country reeling from worsening political instability.
At least 237 people were killed during June alone.
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22/06/2023 20:10
