Iraq's Sectarian Violence And Warfare Continues

Reuters: Sunni mosques in east Iraq attacked after IS-claimed blasts


At least seven Sunni mosques and dozens of shops in eastern Iraq were firebombed on Tuesday, security sources and local officials said, a day after 23 people were killed there in two blasts claimed by Islamic State.

Ten people were also shot and killed in Muqdadiya, 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Baghdad, security and hospital sources said.

The rise of the Islamist militant group Islamic State, which follows a Sunni jihadist ideology, has exacerbated a long-running sectarian conflict in the country, mostly between the Shi'ite majority and minority Sunnis.

A surge in such violence could undermine efforts by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a moderate Shi'ite Islamist, to dislodge the militants from large swaths of the north and west that they seized in 2014.

WNU Editor: Unfortunately .... this appears to be the trend .... Attacks in Baghdad and Diyala, Iraq, indicate Islamic State increasingly resorting to guerrilla warfare in government-controlled territory (IHS Jane's 360).

More News On Iraq

Iraq conflict: Shia 'reprisals' after bomb kills 20 in cafe -- BBC
Iraq endures deadliest day in three months as attacks claim 51 lives -- DW
At least 51 killed in attacks in Iraqi capital, eastern town -- Reuters
Dozens dead in spate of attacks by Isis suicide bombers and gunmen in Iraq -- The Guardian
Multiple jihadist attacks kill more than 30 in Iraq -- AFP
Iraqi PM Vows to Rout IS After Mall Bombing, Mosque Attacks -- AP
As Iraq fights Islamic State, violence rises in Shiite south -- AP
Isis in Iraq: Residents pick up pieces after devastating Baghdad attack -- IBTimes
Two Iraqi journalists shot dead, intel officer wounded -- AFP
U.S.-led coalition destroys Islamic State cash storehouse in Iraq -- USA Today
Iraq drone strike mistake kills 9 militiamen: spokesman -- AFP
Bombs hamper troops two weeks after victory declared in Iraq’s Ramadi -- Al Arabiya/Reuters
Starving Families Flee Encircled, IS-Controlled City In Northern Iraq -- RFE
IS digging in for long fight in Iraq despite retreat from Ramadi -- Middle East Eye
Iraq Turkmens alarmed by Kurdish trench -- AFP
Iraq faces take-over by Iran-backed militias if Islamic State is defeated coalition commanders fear -- The Telegraph
Iraq’s former PM warns further tensions could break up the country -- RUDAW
Post-invasion Iraq: ‘Govt can’t overcome Shia-Sunni divide’ (Commentary) -- RT