Spate of bombings in Iraq undermines stability ahead of Arab summit
A series of bombings across Iraq today belie Iraq's efforts to portray itself as a stable, resurgent power as it prepares to host the annual Arab League summit for the first time since 1990.
People inspect the scene of a car bomb attack in Kirkuk, 180 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday. Officials say attacks across Iraq have killed and wounded scores of people in a spate of violence that was dreaded in the days before Baghdad hosts the Arab world's top leaders.
Emad Matti/AP
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Bomb blasts rocked cities across Iraq today, a week before it hosts the annual Arab League summit for the first time in more than 20 years. Its role as host is intended to showcase Iraq鈥檚 stability after the US withdrawal late last year and its return to a leadership role in the Arab world at a critical time, as leaders weigh the next steps in the Syria conflict.
Among the cities targeted by today's bombings were Baghdad, the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, the Shiite holy city of Karbala, the former Sunni insurgent hotbed of Fallujah, and Saddam Hussein鈥檚 hometown of Tikrit. The bombings killed at least 36 people, according to the lowest estimates. More than 200 were wounded.
The Associated Press reports that Iraqi officials have been 鈥渂racing鈥� for violence as the Arab League summit approaches. The government announced last week that it would deploy an 鈥渦nprecedented鈥� number of security forces in Baghdad during the meeting: .
The Arab League summit has not been held in Iraq , according to Reuters. Last year鈥檚 summit was slated for Baghdad, but was relocated because of security concerns, AP reports.
The Washington Post reports that Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his government have worked hard to encourage Arab leaders to come for the meeting, 鈥渟eeing it as in the wake of the American withdrawal鈥� in December.
The Shiite-led government hopes to put on display a much more stable and secure country than was seen at the height of sectarian fighting a few years ago, but insurgents seek to undermine that portrayal. AP reports that two of today鈥檚 attacks were right outside Baghdad鈥檚 Green Zone, where the summit will be held, and most of the 16 attacks nationwide targeted police checkpoints and patrols, according to Reuters.
The New York Times reports that amid the heightened security, violence has at least fallen in Baghdad in recent weeks and that 鈥渋f there is any silver lining for Iraqi officials, it was that the worst of the day鈥檚 attacks .鈥� Hundreds of foreign officials will be arriving in the capital next week.
No insurgent group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but both the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal report that they bear the 鈥渉allmarks鈥� of the Islamic State of Iraq, an Al Qaeda affiliate. According to the Wall Street Journal, the group that killed 70 people and wounded 374 鈥� after which it promised future attacks against security forces, Shiites, and the 鈥渋llegitimate鈥� government.
The spate of attacks since the US troop withdrawal in December has Iraqi and US officials concerned. One US official told The Washington Post, 鈥淚 would classify what we are seeing as a resurgent Al Qaeda,鈥� calling the group 鈥渢remendously resilient.鈥� The unnamed official made the comments earlier this month.
Under US tutelage, Iraqi security forces鈥� capabilities have improved significantly, but they still lack critical intelligence-gathering capabilities and forensic expertise necessary to prevent and investigate attacks, according to the Post.