2013 Was A Bloody Year In Iraq

A 2013 Disaster: Death Toll More Than Doubles in Iraq -- Antiwar

Violence Shows No Signs of Slowing Down as Year End

For a nation still reeling from a devastating multi-year US occupation, 2013 was definitely a year Iraqis would prefer to forget. Violence spiked more than two-fold nationwide over 2012 numbers, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down.

2013 started much the same as the past several years did, but a late April crackdown against Sunni protesters by the military sparked a series of strikes from Sunni militant factions, and coupled with spillover violence from Syria, the toll is back to the levels of 2007, the height of the US surge.

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Update #1: UN says violence claimed lives of 7,818 civilians in Iraq in 2013, highest toll in years -- FOX News/AP
Update #2: Iraq suffers worst year of violence since 2008 -- AFP

My Comment: What is worrisome is that this spiral of violence is only escalating .... that trends are indicating an even doubling of the death toll in 2014.