25 August 2010 Iraq bombings
Encyclopedia
On 25 August 2010, a string of attacks in Iraq
i cities including Al-Muqdadiya, Kut
, Baghdad
, Fallujah
, Tikrit
, Kerbala, Kirkuk
, Basra
, Ramadi
, Dujail
, Mosul
and Iskandariyah targeting mostly Iraqi security forces
and checkpoints left at least 53 people dead and more than 270 injured.
between the United States and Iraq, American combat forces were withdrawn from the country leaving less than 50,000 troops in the country. This was the lowest foreign troop count in the country since the 2003 Iraq War. There were concerns that the drawdown could lead to a rise in Al Qaeda-linked attacks. A scheduled speech by U.S. President Barack Obama
will take note of the withdrawal of U.S. forces on the planned date of August 31; the next day the U.S. mission will officially be renamed 'Operation New Dawn' from 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' in a ceremony at a U.S. base near the Baghdad airport.
The attacks also came amid concern that the Iraqi general election, 2010 was so inconclusive that a new government had not yet formed nearly six months after 7 March 2010 election date.
Most insurgents are Sunnis, whereas the majority of the population, including the acting Prime Minister, are Shias. Quoting what it called a "prominent insurgent website" on the day of the attacks, the New York Times said the Sunni insurgents stated that "the countdown has begun to return Iraq to the embrace of Islam and its Sunnis, with God’s permission."
to make coordinated attacks across the country. The 25 August attacks included a full spectrum of types with over a dozen car bombs, hit-and-run shooting attacks and roadside bombs.
A list of the attacks included:
, issued a statement laying blame for the attacks. "Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and its allies from the Baath party, have once again committed an ugly crime against innocent civilians and the institutions of the state...to destabilise security and shake the confidence in the Iraqi security forces who are getting ready to take over security at the end of this month as the Americans withdraw."
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i cities including Al-Muqdadiya, Kut
Kut
Al-Kūt is a city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about 160 kilometres south east of Baghdad. the estimated population is about 374,000 people...
, Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Fallujah
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
, Tikrit
Tikrit
Tikrit is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river . The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the Salah ad Din Governorate.-Ancient times:...
, Kerbala, Kirkuk
Kirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
, Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
, Ramadi
Ramadi
Ramadi is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad. It is the capital of Al Anbar Governorate.-History:Ramadi is located in a fertile, irrigated, alluvial plain.The Ottoman Empire founded Ramadi in 1869...
, Dujail
Dujail
Dujail is a small Shia town in the Salah ad Din Governorate. It is situated about north of Iraq's capital, Baghdad, and has approximately 10,000 inhabitants. It is the site of the 1982 Dujail Massacre....
, Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
and Iskandariyah targeting mostly Iraqi security forces
Iraqi security forces
Iraqi security forces is a U.S. Department of Defense term for all security forces of the Federal government of Iraq. They consist of the following organizations:*Ministry of Defence **Iraqi Armed Forces:*** Iraqi Army*** Iraqi Air Force...
and checkpoints left at least 53 people dead and more than 270 injured.
Background
Following terms agreed to in the Status of Forces AgreementStatus of Forces Agreement
A status of forces agreement is an agreement between a host country and a foreign nation stationing forces in that country. SOFAs are often included, along with other types of military agreements, as part of a comprehensive security arrangement...
between the United States and Iraq, American combat forces were withdrawn from the country leaving less than 50,000 troops in the country. This was the lowest foreign troop count in the country since the 2003 Iraq War. There were concerns that the drawdown could lead to a rise in Al Qaeda-linked attacks. A scheduled speech by U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
will take note of the withdrawal of U.S. forces on the planned date of August 31; the next day the U.S. mission will officially be renamed 'Operation New Dawn' from 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' in a ceremony at a U.S. base near the Baghdad airport.
The attacks also came amid concern that the Iraqi general election, 2010 was so inconclusive that a new government had not yet formed nearly six months after 7 March 2010 election date.
Most insurgents are Sunnis, whereas the majority of the population, including the acting Prime Minister, are Shias. Quoting what it called a "prominent insurgent website" on the day of the attacks, the New York Times said the Sunni insurgents stated that "the countdown has begun to return Iraq to the embrace of Islam and its Sunnis, with God’s permission."
Attacks
The attacks were made in 13 cities and spanned the length of Iraq, from Mosul in the north to Basra in the far south of the country. The attacks demonstrated the ability of insurgentsIraqi insurgency
The Iraqi Resistance is composed of a diverse mix of militias, foreign fighters, all-Iraqi units or mixtures opposing the United States-led multinational force in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi government...
to make coordinated attacks across the country. The 25 August attacks included a full spectrum of types with over a dozen car bombs, hit-and-run shooting attacks and roadside bombs.
A list of the attacks included:
- In the southern city of Kut, a suicide car bomber killed at least 19 policemen and wounded 90.
- A car bomb also hit a police check-point in Ameiriya wounding three people.
- In Kerbala, at least one person was killed and 29 people were wounded when a car bomb went off near a police station.
- In Kirkuk, one person died and another eight were wounded by a bomb attack.
- A parked minibus packed with explosives blew up near a police station in the southern oil hub city of Basra, wounding 12 people.
- A car bomb struck a bus station in Ramadi, killing 3 policemen and wounding 9 civilians.
- Car bombs in Dujail, Mosul and Iskandariyah killed 5 and wounded 21.
Responsibility
Though the Iraqi political leadership blamed Al Qaeda and the remnants of the Iraqi Baath party, Al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for the attacks saying that during "the month of fasting and jihad [we launched a] new earth-shaking wave [targeting] headquarters, centres and security barriers for the army and apostate police."Reaction
Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-MalikiNouri al-Maliki
Nouri Kamil Mohammed Hasan al-Maliki , also known as Jawad al-Maliki or Abu Esraa, is the Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Al-Maliki and his government succeeded the Iraqi Transitional Government. He is currently in his second term as Prime Minister...
, issued a statement laying blame for the attacks. "Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and its allies from the Baath party, have once again committed an ugly crime against innocent civilians and the institutions of the state...to destabilise security and shake the confidence in the Iraqi security forces who are getting ready to take over security at the end of this month as the Americans withdraw."