25 August 2010 Iraq bombings

25 August 2010 Iraq bombings
Location	Across Iraq
Date	25 August 2010 (UTC+3)
Target	Mostly security services and checkpoints
Attack type	Suicide bombings, Car bombings, and IEDs
Death(s)	53+
Injured	270+
Suspected belligerent(s)	Al Qaeda in Iraq + Iraqi Baath party

On 25 August 2010, a string of attacks in Iraqi cities including Al-Muqdadiya, Kut, Baghdad, Fallujah, Tikrit, Kerbala, Kirkuk, Basra, Ramadi, Dujail, Mosul and Iskandariyah targeting mostly Iraqi security forces and checkpoints left at least 53 people dead and more than 270 injured.^[1]

Contents 1 Background 2 Attacks 3 Reaction 4 See also 5 References

[edit] Background

v • d • e Major insurgent attacks since the Iraq War Bold indicates attacks resulting in over 100 deaths Purple color indicates the deadliest attack in the Iraq War 2003: 1st Baghdad – 2nd Baghdad – Najaf – 3rd Baghdad – Nasiriyah – 1st Karbala 2004: Irbil – Ashoura – Basra – Mosul – 4th Baghdad – 5th Baghdad – Karbala-Najaf – 1st Baqubah – Kufa – FOB Marez 2005: 1st Al Hillah – Musayyib – 6th Baghdad – 7th Baghdad – 1st Balad – Khanaqin 2006: Karbala-Ramadi – 1st Samarra – 8th Baghdad – 9th Baghdad – 10th Baghdad 2007: 11th Baghdad – 12th Baghdad – 13th Baghdad – 14th Baghdad – 15th Baghdad – 2nd Al Hillah – 1st Tal Afar – 16th Baghdad – 17th Baghdad – 2nd Karbala – 18th Baghdad – 3rd Karbala – Makhmour – Abu Sayda – 2nd Samarra – 19th Baghdad – Amirli – 1st Kirkuk – 20th Baghdad – 21st Baghdad – Qahtaniya – Amarah 2008: 22nd Baghdad – 2nd Balad – 23rd Baghdad – 4th Karbala – 24th Baghdad – Karmah – 2nd Baqubah – Dujail – Balad Ruz 2009: 25th Baghdad – 26th Baghdad – Baghdad-Muqdadiyah – Taza – 27th Baghdad – 2nd Kirkuk – 2nd Tal Afar – 28th Baghdad – 29th Baghdad – 30th Baghdad 2010: 31st Baghdad – 32nd Baghdad – 3rd Baqubah – 33rd Baghdad – 34th Baghdad – 35th Baghdad – 1st Pan-Iraq – 36th Baghdad – 37th Baghdad – 2nd Pan-Iraq

Following terms agreed to in the Status of Forces Agreement between the United States and Iraq, American combat forces were withdrawn from the country leaving less than 50,000 troops in the country. This was the lowest foreign troop count in the country since the 2003 Iraq War. There were concerns that the drawdown could lead to a rise in Al Qaeda-linked attacks.^[1][2] A scheduled speech by U.S. President Obama will take note of the withdrawal of U.S. forces on the planned date of August 31; the next day the U.S. mission will officially be renamed 'Operation New Dawn' from 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' in a ceremony at a U.S. base near the Baghdad airport.^[3]

The attacks also came amid concern that the Iraqi general election, 2010 was so inconclusive that a new government had not yet formed nearly six months after 7 March 2010 election date.^[1][2][3]

Most insurgents are Sunnis, whereas the majority of the population, including the acting Prime Minister, are Shias. Quoting what it called a "prominent insurgent website" on the day of the attacks, the New York Times said the Sunni insurgents stated that "the countdown has begun to return Iraq to the embrace of Islam and its Sunnis, with God’s permission."^[3]

[edit] Attacks

The attacks were made in 13 cities and spanned the length of Iraq, from Mosul in the north to Basra in the far south of the country. The attacks showcased the ability of insurgents to hit where ever they wish, with the timing meant as a pointed comment. The 25 August attacks included a full spectrum of types with over a dozen car bombs, hit-and-run shooting attacks and roadside bombs.^[3]

A list of the attacks included:

• In the southern city of Kut, a suicide car bomber killed at least 19 policemen and wounded 90.
• In Baghdad, a suicide truck bomber killed 15 people and wounded at least 56 others in an attack on another police station.
  • Also in the capital, a car bomb hit a police check point in Ameiriya, west Baghdad, wounding three people, while another bombing killed two civilians and wounded eight in Adan Square in the north of the city. On Haifa street in central Baghdad, 10 people were wounded by an improvised explosive device.^[4]

• A car bomber also hit a police check point in Al-Muqdadiya, in Diyala province, killing three people and wounding 18.^[4]
• In Falluja, a soldier was killed and 10 people injured when a suicide bomber drove into an Iraqi army convoy.^[5]
• In Tikrit, a roadside bomb killed a policeman and wounded another.^[5]
• In Kerbala, at least one person was killed and 29 people were wounded when a car bomb went off near a police station.^[4]
• In Kirkuk, one person died and another eight were wounded by a bomb attack.^[4]
• A parked minibus packed with explosives blew up near a police station in the southern oil hub city of Basra, wounding 12 people.^[5]
• A car bomb struck a bus station in Ramadi, killing 3 policemen and wounding 9 civilians.^[6]
• Car bombs in Dujail, Mosul and Iskandariyah killed 5 and wounded 21.^[6]

[edit] Reaction

Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, issued a statement laying blame for the attacks. "Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and its allies from the Baath party, have once again committed an ugly crime against innocent civilians and the institutions of the state...to destabalise security and shake the confidence in the Iraqi security forces who are getting ready to take over security at the end of this month as the Americans withdraw."^[7]

[edit] See also

• List of suicide bombings in Iraq in 2010

[edit] References