The 23 July 2012 Iraq attacks were a series of simultaneous, coordinated bombings and shootings that struck the Iraqi
security force
Security forces are statutory organizations with internal security mandates. In the legal context of several nations, the term has variously denoted police and military units working in concert, or the role of military and paramilitary forces (s ...
and
Shi'ite Muslim communities. At least 116 people were killed and 299 wounded in the attacks, making them the deadliest attacks in the country since
May 2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A ...
.
The Islamic State of Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI; ar, دولة العراق الإسلامية '), commonly referred to as al-Qaeda in Iraq ( ar, القاعدة في العراق '), is a militant Salafist jihadist group that aimed to establish an Islamic sta ...
claimed responsibility for the attacks.[
]
Background
The attacks occurred about seven months following the withdrawal of the United States military forces from the area, leaving the security of the country in the hands of the Iraqi security forces
The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) is a term used by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to describe law enforcement and military forces of the federal government of the Republic of Iraq. During the Iraq War, these entities received trainin ...
.[
]
Attacks
Numerous attacks were conducted within hours of each other on 23 July 2012 across thirteen different cities in Iraq. Naharnet
Naharnet is one of the first Lebanese online media after ''An Nahar'' newspaper was online in September 1995. It was launched in September 2000. At its initial phase it was a portal and virtual community for Lebanese and Arabs everywhere. reported the number of towns and cities attacked as eighteen. The number of attacks, on the other hand, was given to be thirty. Two more attacks occurred late on 23 July 2012, increasing the number of attacks to thirty-two. Rod Nordland stated that the number of attacks was forty. The major targets of the attacks were security forces, government buildings and Shia Muslim neighbourhoods.
The first attack took place on an army base in Saladin Governorate
The Saladin or Salah Al-Din Governorate ( ar, محافظة صلاح الدين) is one of Iraq's 19 governorates, north of Baghdad. It has an area of , with an estimated population of 1,042,200 people in 2003. It is made up of 8 districts, with t ...
around dawn. In Taji
{{Infobox settlement
, official_name = Taji
, other_name =
, nickname =
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, nearly north of Baghdad, a series of bombs around a number of homes went off simultaneously; as police arrived and residents began searching the wreckage for survivors, a suicide bomber
A suicide attack is any violent Strike (attack), attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has suicide, accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have oc ...
detonated himself, killing more. At least 41 people were killed in this attack, considered the worst of the overall event. A car bomb exploded near a government building in Sadr City
Sadr City ( ar, مدينة الصدر, translit=Madīnat aṣ-Ṣadr), formerly known as Al-Thawra ( ar, الثورة, aṯ-Ṯawra) and Saddam City ( ar, مدينة صدام, Madīnat Ṣaddām), is a suburb district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. ...
in Baghdad, killing 16. At least five car bombs went off in Kirkuk
Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...
. The insurgents attacked a base in Dhuluiya, killing 15 soldiers. In al-Husseiniya, a predominantly Shiite suburb in northeastern Baghdad and in Mosul
Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...
, a total of six people were killed in bombing attacks. Explosion in Yarmouk, another neighborhood of Baghdad, killed at least four people and injured another 24. Nearly five people were also killed and 22 or 25 injured when a car bomb exploded near a busy market in Diwaniya. Of all the sites attacked, only Diwaniya is an undisputed Shiite territory. There were checkpoint shootings and bomb blasts in the ethnically mixed Diyala Governorate
Diyala Governorate ( ar, محافظة ديالى ) or Diyala Province is a governorate in central-eastern Iraq.
Provincial government
*Governor: Muthana al-Timimi
*Deputy Governor: Mohammed Jassim al-Jubouri
Council
Geography
Diyala Gov ...
, resulting in 11 dead and 40 wounded. In the western city of Heet, a car bombing occurred near an army patrol, killing one soldier and injuring 10 others. The other towns and cities suffered from bombings were Saadiya, Khan Beni-Saad, Tuz Khurmatu, Dibis, Samarra and Dujail
Dujail ( ar, الدجيل; alternate spelling: Ad Dujayl) is a town in Saladin Governorate, Iraq. It is situated about north of Baghdad, and has approximately 100,000 inhabitants, who are mostly Shia. It was the site of the 1982 Dujail Massacre, ...
.
In addition to all these attacks took place daytime, there were two more attacks late in the day. One of these attacks was a car bomb blast near a café in the Shi'ite Ameen district in southeastern Baghdad, killing six men and wounding 24. The second was a roadside bombing near Baquba
Baqubah ( ar, بَعْقُوبَة; BGN: Ba‘qūbah; also spelled Baquba and Baqouba) is the capital of Iraq's Diyala Governorate. The city is located some to the northeast of Baghdad, on the Diyala River. In 2003 it had an estimated populati ...
, a city northeast of Baghdad. The second blast killed three people and injured seven others.
Perpetrators
Though no group claimed responsibility immediately after the killings, the attacks were believed by Iraqi officials, media and specialists to be orchestrated by Al Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...
, seeking to gain control of the country following the departure of the American forces. An announcement purported to be from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ( ar, أبو بكر البغدادي, ʾAbū Bakr al-Baḡdādī; born Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim Ali Muhammad al-Badri al-Samarrai ( ar, إبراهيم عواد إبراهيم علي محمد البدري السامرائي, ʾIb ...
, the current leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq known as the Islamic State of Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI; ar, دولة العراق الإسلامية '), commonly referred to as al-Qaeda in Iraq ( ar, القاعدة في العراق '), is a militant Salafist jihadist group that aimed to establish an Islamic sta ...
(ISI), had been broadcast on 21 July 2012; in the announcement, al-Baghdadi declared the intention towards a new offensive to retake the country, a move claimed to be supported by the Sunni population of Iraq. Previous attacks that have targeted the security forces have been attributed to al-Qaeda.
On 25 July 2012, the Islamic State of Iraq posted a statement on radical Islamist websites, indicating that it was responsible for the recent attacks, calling the attacks "Destroying the Walls" campaign. ISI also stated that it was just the start of a "new stage of jihad".
Reactions
Domestic
*Iraq – An unnamed official for the current Iraqi government believed the attacks were made by the terrorist group al-Qaeda, as part of a larger scheme to ignite a "bloody sectarian war".
International
*Canada – Canada condemned the violence.
*France – French president
The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is ...
, Francois Hollande, condemned the attacks and stated that his country would stand by Iraq and fully support its efforts to enhance stability and security.
*Iran – Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
and the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and expressed its full support to the Iraqi government.
*Russia – The Russian Foreign Ministry
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA Russia; russian: Министерство иностранных дел Российской Федерации, МИД РФ) is the central government institution charged with lea ...
expressed its condolences to victims' relatives and support for the Iraqi government's measures to "stabilize the situation and boost security" in the country.
*Turkey – The Turkish Foreign Ministry
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( tr, Dışişleri Bakanlığı) is a Government of Turkey, government ministry of the Republic of Turkey, responsible for the nation's Foreign relations of Turkey, foreign policy and international relations. Es ...
condemned the bombings in Iraq and stated that it would maintain the solidarity with the people of Iraq in fighting terrorism.
*United Nations – The United Nations mission in Iraq strongly condemned the attacks.
*United States – US State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
spokeswoman Victoria Nuland
Victoria Jane Nuland (born July 1, 1961) is an American diplomat currently serving as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. Nuland, a former member of the foreign service, served as the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eura ...
condemned shootings and bomb attacks in Iraq.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iraq Attacks, 2012
2012 murders in Iraq
Suicide bombings in 2012
21st-century mass murder in Iraq
Car and truck bombings in Iraq
Islamic terrorist incidents in 2012
Mass murder in 2012
Spree shootings in Iraq
Suicide bombings in Iraq
Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2012
Violence against Shia Muslims in Iraq
Terrorist incidents in Baghdad
July 2012 events in Iraq