FrontPage Magazine » Iraq in Crisis » Print: Yesterday, Iraq was hit with another wave of bombings as sectarian strife continues to dramatically increase following the withdrawal of U.S. forces. At least 70 Shiites were killed, presumably by Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Across the Middle East, tension and bloodshed between the region’s various communities is increasing, prompting Turkey to warn of a new Cold War.
Three of the explosions took place in Sadr City, the Shiite stronghold in Baghdad of Moqatada al-Sadr. Another two explosions happened in Kadhimiyah district and near Nasiriyah, targeting Shiites celebrating the holiday of Arbaeen by traveling to Karbala. On December 22, 60 Iraqis were killed in terrorist attacks in Baghdad.
The attacks come as the Shiite Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is locked in an intense political struggle with his Sunni rivals. Al-Maliki issued an arrest warrant for Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, accusing him of being involved in terrorism. He also called for the sacking of Deputy Prime Minister Saleh el-Mutlaq, another Sunni, after he accused al-Maliki of acting like a dictator worse than Saddam Hussein. Al-Hashimi is now avoiding arrest in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The al-Iraqiya bloc, led by secular Shiite Iyad Allawi, is allied with the Sunnis and is boycotting parliament. Al-Maliki is threatening to replace its representatives in the parliament. Some of al-Maliki’s opponents are calling for his replacement. Moqtada al-Sadr’s bloc, which supports al-Maliki, wants parliament to be dissolved and new elections to be held.
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