Sectarian conflict in Iraq

Attacks Stoke Fears of Violent Plunge in Iraq

Still No Signs of Sectarian Conflict Slowing Down

Anti-War,

18 August, 2013

Over a dozen bombings in a single hour made today another grim part of the month of August, the latest month of deadly violence which has left Iraq on the precipice of another sectarian civil war.

As with most other days, the attacks centered around attacking Shi’ite districts, and later in the day a round of bombings hit Sunni areas, with both sides blaming the sectarian divide on the other. 

Tensions are ever worsening, and while officials try to downplay individual days, the reality is that Iraq, more than any time since the US occupation, is a powderkeg waiting to explode.

99 people were killed nationwide, with 266 others wounded. Iraqi officials reiterated its “high alert” status, with concerns that the US attack on Syria could lead to more cross-border violence.

Violence has been steadily climbing since April, with July the single deadliest monthsince 2007. Though August isn’t over yet and there isn’t a final toll, today underscores that the situation is no better, and a bloody summer is quickly giving way to a bloody autumn for Iraqis, with no end in sight.