Violence in Iraq

Via the BBC:  Iraq violence: May was deadliest month for years – UN

The United Nations says more than 1,000 people were killed in Iraq in May, the highest monthly death toll for years.

The violence makes it the deadliest month since the wide sectarian violence of 2006-7, and raising concern that the country is returning to civil war.

The vast majority of the casualties were civilians, and Baghdad was the worst hit area of the country.

The official figures for May were 1,045 killed (and 712 in April).

On Thursday, [Martin] Kobler, [UN envoy to Iraq] warned that "systemic violence is ready to explode at any moment if all Iraqi leaders do not engage immediately to pull the country out of this mayhem".

Analysts say al-Qaeda and Sunni Islamist insurgents have been invigorated by the Sunni-led revolt in neighbouring Syria and by the worsening sectarian tensions in the country.

And the cautionary tale about intervention continues to deliver.

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Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter

Comments

  1. DC Loser says:

    I just watched the traitors Dan Senor and Danielle Pletka on CNN GPS advocating for more of this type of sectarian violence in Syria. It’s disgusting neocons like them still dare to peddle their crap.

  2. Caj says:

    A hornets nest was stirred up when we invaded Iraq! A country that had absolutely nothing to do with 911. Thousands of innocents died and for what? Just to make Cheney, Rumsfeld & rest of the evil crew happy. George Bush I feel was weak and easily led by those morons, even though he may have had some resentment toward Saddam Hussein. Yet, we are expected to sweep all that under the carpet as if it never happened! That trumped up war caused our whole way of life to change forever. Terrorists were created in the hundreds after that invasion and we are still suffering due to that unnecessary act. Thank God President Obama isn’t a warmonger. We have had too many bomb first and ask questions later approaches by Republicans. Cheney had several deferments which made him a coward who preferred to stay home and send others to fight! Romney is another example. His father, himself & all five sons did not SERVE their country in uniform but were willing to send others to fight just like Cheney. Yet, these people claim to be such patriots. I am amazed at how many of those who wear a uniform are such staunch supporters of Republicans! A party that does nothing for them and votes no to things that would help them! No one has done more for military families than Michelle Obama & Jill Biden! There seems to be what I call a military mentality out there, where some in the military for some unknown reason see Republicans as the saviors of the country where military matters are concerned! Republicans send them off to wars! Democrats try to avoid wars! That blows my mind it really does!!

  3. Dave Schuler says:

    And the cautionary tale about invention continues to deliver.

    “Intervention”, presumably?

  4. @Dave Schuler: Indeed–thanks.