Suicide bombings in Iraq since 2003 have killed thousands of people, mostly Iraqi civilians, and are considered to constitute a new phenomenon in the history of warfare. Suicide bombings have been used as a tactic in other armed struggles, but their frequency and lethality in Iraq is unprecedented.

A 2005 Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...

 report analysed the insurgency in Iraq

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....

 and highlighted, "The groups that are most responsible for the abuse, namely al-Qaeda in Iraq

Al-Qaeda in Iraq

Al-Qaeda in Iraq is a popular name for the Iraqi division of the international Salafi jihadi militant organization al-Qaeda. It is recognized as a part of the greater Iraqi insurgency....

 and its allies, Ansar al-Sunna and the Islamic State of Iraq

Islamic State of Iraq

The Islamic State of Iraq , is an umbrella organization of a number Iraqi insurgency groups established on October 15 2006.The group is composed of and supported by a variety of insurgency groups, including its predecessor, the Mujahideen Shura Council, Al-Qaeda, Jeish al-Fatiheen, Jund al-Sahaba,...

, have all targeted civilians for abductions and executions. The first two groups have repeatedly boasted about massive car bombs and suicide bombs in mosques, markets, bus stations and other civilian areas. Such acts are war crimes and in some cases may constitute crimes against humanity, which are defined as serious crimes committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population."

A 2008 RAND Research Brief Counterinsurgency in Iraq: 2003 - 2006 depicts a chart that shows in June and July 2004, Iraqi insurgents began to shift their focus away from attacking U.S. and coalition forces with roadside bombs and instead began targeting the Iraqi population with suicide bombers and vehicle-borne IEDs. By increasing the number of suicide bombings against civilians and accepting their targeting in retribution, the insurgents sought to expose the weakness of the coalition-Iraqi security and reconstruction apparatus, threaten those who collaborated with the government, generate funds and propaganda, and increasingly enact sectarian revenge. The U.S. failure to adapt to this shift had dramatic consequences. By June 2004, U.S. deaths represented less than 10% of overall deaths on the battlefield and Iraqi deaths represented more than 90% - a figure that remained constant for the next 18 months of the War.

Frequency of attacks

Determining the exact number of suicide bomber attacks in Iraq is a nearly impossible task. Attacks are so frequent that the global media no longer bother to investigate each attack. Even if reporters did follow up, most incidents that are attributed to suicide bombers are unverifiable (as the alleged bomber will have destroyed himself in the blast and any remains will be over-mixed with other human remains). In most reports, Coalition troops or Iraqi police are the sole source for the allegation of a suicide bomber attack. This single source for information raises the possibility that at least some of these attacks could be remotely detonated bombs and not suicide attacks.

2003: 25 suicide bombings

In 2003, the United States military invaded Iraq. There were 25 suicide bombings executed by 32 attackers over the course of the year.

2004: 140 suicide bombings

In 2004, the number of suicide bombings increased dramatically. Iraq saw heavy combat at the violent First and Second Battles of Fallujah.

2005: 478 suicide bombings

In 2005, Iraq held its first elections since the fall of the Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...

 regime. Meanwhile, suicide bombings spiked, with 478 suicide bombings over the course of the year.

2006: 297 suicide bombings

In 2006, sectarian strife dominated Iraq, although the overall number of suicide bombings fell. The deadliest attack of the war to that point occurred on November 23 in Sadr City

Sadr City

Sadr City is a suburb district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It was built in 1959 by Prime Minister Abdul Karim Qassim and later unofficially renamed Sadr City after deceased Shia leader Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr....

.

2007: 442 Suicide Bombings

In 2007, the United States executed the Iraq War troop surge of 2007

Iraq War troop surge of 2007

In the context of the Iraq War, the surge refers to United States President George W. Bush's 2007 increase in the number of American troops in order to provide security to Baghdad and Al Anbar Province....

. Meanwhile, 442 suicide bombings occurred, the highest yearly total since the war began.

2008: 257 Suicide Bombings

In 2008, following the troop surge, the number of suicide bombings dropped somewhat, with 257 attacks occurring.

2009: 76 Suicide Bombings

In 2009, 76 suicide bombings occurred – the fewest since 2003. On June 30, 2009, American troops formally withdrew from Iraqi cities and towns, handing over control to Iraqi security forces. The United States is now the only foreign nation with troops in Iraq, following Australia's July 2009 withdrawal.

2010: 44 Suicide Bombings

In 2010, 44 suicide bombings have occurred.

2011

• 18 January, Tikrit
  January 2011 Iraq suicide attacks
  The January 2011 Iraq suicide attacks were a series of three consecutive suicide bombings in Iraq.-18 January attack:On 18 January 2011, a bomber killed 63 people and injured around 150 in the city of Tikrit. The bombing occurred near a police facility where several hundred people were gathered...
  
  
• 19 January, Baquba
  January 2011 Iraq suicide attacks
  The January 2011 Iraq suicide attacks were a series of three consecutive suicide bombings in Iraq.-18 January attack:On 18 January 2011, a bomber killed 63 people and injured around 150 in the city of Tikrit. The bombing occurred near a police facility where several hundred people were gathered...
  
  
• 20 January, Karbala
  January 2011 Iraq suicide attacks
  The January 2011 Iraq suicide attacks were a series of three consecutive suicide bombings in Iraq.-18 January attack:On 18 January 2011, a bomber killed 63 people and injured around 150 in the city of Tikrit. The bombing occurred near a police facility where several hundred people were gathered...
  
  
• 23 January, Baghdad
• 24 January, Karbala
  24 January 2011 Iraq bombings
  The 24 January 2011 Iraq bombings were a series of four explosions, two in Baghdad and two in Karbala, which killed at least 27 people and wounded at least 78 more....
  
  
• 27 January, Baghdad
  27 January 2011 Baghdad bombing
  At least 48 people are killed and 78 wounded in the 27 January 2011 Baghdad bombing. A car bomb was detonated at a funeral tent in the north-western Shula district of Baghdad.-See also:*January 2011 Iraq suicide attacks*24 January 2011 Iraq bombings...
  
  
• 9 February, Kirkuk
• 10 February, Dujail
• 12 February, Samarra
• 17 February, Muqdadiya
• 21 February, Samarra
• 24 February, Ramadi
• 3 March, Haditha
• 14 March, Baqouba
• 18 April, Iraq
• 28 April, Diyala
• 30 April, Mosul
• 3 May, Baghdad
• 5 May, Baghdad

External links

• Hermeneutics of takfir Sectarian attacks