海角大神

A daily update on terrorism and security issues

Prime Minister Nour al-Maliki reiterated his call for international support to stem the rising violence in Iraq after bombings across the country killed at least 40. Although the United Nations and US have expressed concern about the growing insecurity, leaders have been firm that it is the Iraqis' job to bring calm.

Violence in Iraq has been on the rise, with the 2013 death toll reaching levels not seen since the height of the Iraq civil war in 2006-07. According to the BBC, nearly 8,000 civilians and just over 1,000 security forces were killed in Iraq last year, with 759 deaths tallied so far this year.

Today's targets聽included a bombing at a funeral聽tent north of Baghdad. The victims were mourning the death of an anti-Al Qaeda Sunni militiaman, reports the Associated Press. Another attack took place in a market in the capital, among other bombings this week.

Reuters reports that the Army is 鈥渓ocked in a standoff with Sunni militants who overran Fallujah, a city west of Baghdad, more than two weeks ago in a challenge to Prime Minister Nour al-Maliki's government.鈥�

Earlier this week, United Nations鈥檚 Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited Iraq, calling for the government to address the 鈥渞oot causes鈥� of its conflict. Mr. Ban encouraged the strengthening of Iraq鈥檚 鈥渟ocial fabric,鈥� through political participation, respect for the law and human rights, and democratic processes.聽

In response, Mr. Maliki said, "what is happening in Anbar has no relation to Iraqi problems," ruling out an attempt at dialogue with jihadists, according to Agence France-Presse. Maliki, a Shiite, has vowed to end the Al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), but says residents in the occupied, largely Sunni areas must force the group to leave.

Iraqi forces have surrounded Fallujah, about 45 miles west of the capital, but Maliki said on Sunday he is searching for a way 鈥渢o end the presence of those militants without any bloodshed, because the people of Fallujah have suffered a lot.鈥�

According to 海角大神鈥檚 Dan Murphy, this comes down, in part, to politics in Iraq 鈥� which may not be a bad thing.

Mr. Murphy goes on to note that when ISIS successfully ambushed Iraq鈥檚 Army north of Anbar Province in late December, the killings of senior officers 鈥渟hocked the nation, with Sunni tribal figures in Anbar and elsewhere condemning the attack and vowing to stand with the Iraqi state against ISIS.鈥�

It was a rare opportunity for the Maliki government to capitalize on a sense of national unity brought about by the death of the officers at the hand of Al Qaeda, Murphy notes.

According to a separate Monitor story, some former聽US military officials are arguing that聽Al Qaeda's return to the region could offer a valuable opportunity to take on the group. A retired colonel claimed that Al Qaeda "has been kind enough to come out of the shadows and present themselves as a target.鈥澛�

Though US Secretary of State John Kerry has offered to help Iraq, he specified that this did not include US "boots on the ground."

"This is their fight, but we鈥檙e going to help them in their fight,鈥� Mr. Kerry said earlier this month.