A series of gun and bomb attacks claimed lives of more than 100 people while around 180 are left critically injured. The attacks took place on Monday morning at different places in the country. Security agencies of Iraq said that a series of around 19 separate explosions rocked the federal capital Baghdad besides Kirkuk and Salah Din. The unidentified gunmen attacked a military base in Salah Din wherein around 15 soldiers were killed and four others sustained bullet injuries. The attack took place at a time when the soldiers were asleep in the camp.
The attacks are being termed as the deadliest ones since June 13 when a series of such attacks claimed lives of around 84 people. The deadly attacks came just a day after the spate of bombings across the country killed at least 20 people and wounded 88 others. It is tragic and shocking, indeed. The security agencies of Iraq have made successful series of operations against terrorist groups linked to al-Qaeda and other groups but it is unfortunate that they are still capable to strike the country at will. However, no terrorist group has claimed responsibility of the recent attacks.
It is tragic to see that the terrorists have also started targeting the residential compounds as they did on Monday. A residential compound was attacked in the city of Taji, north of Baghdad, wherein more than 18 people were killed and dozens others sustained injuries. A second explosion also ripped through the rescue workers who had gathered on the scene to pull the victims out of the rubbles. It is barbaric to attack any place but it is really loathsome to target the residential compounds as the terrorists did in Taji.
The latest attacks have exposed capability of the Iraqi security forces that have virtually failed to track down the criminals and terrorists. The law and order situation in Iraq justifies suggestion of the United States that asked Iraq to train and equip the country’s security forces while Iraqi officials denied the offer. Since departure of the US forces from volatile Iraq, bombs and gun attacks have reached to new heights as hardly a single day passes without the mayhem and tragedy. The United States invaded Iraq in March 2003 to eliminate the same rogue elements and biological and chemical weapons stockpiled by the late dictator Saddam HusseinSaddam Hussein.
Now the Islamic State of Iraq, a terrorist group aligned with al-Qaeda, has become a constant threat to security and stability of the country. The outfit has warned of attacks on judges and prosecutors in a latest audio message posted on jihadist forums in order to get their fellow members released currently being held in prison for different crimes. Iraqi officials should train the security agencies and equip them with sophisticated weapons to deal with the nefarious elements.
