Al-Qaeda-affiliated group claims responsibility for recent carnage in Iraq

Nearly 70 people died and 200 others were wounded in a series of car bombs in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on August 10, when people were celebrating Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
 
Iraqi authorities said nine blasts rocked mostly Shia neighborhoods.
 
The militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks across Baghdad and in provinces in southern Iraq, the SITE monitoring group reported on Monday.
 
The terrorist group said it carried out the attacks in response to an Iraqi government campaign to arrest suspected militants.
 
Following prison breaks last month claimed by al-Qaeda, Iraqi security forces have carried out an “Avenge the Martyrs” campaign to arrest suspected militants.
 
The ISIL warned the Iraqi government it “will not be secure day or night during Eid or other times, so they should watch their footsteps and stop the detention campaigns.”
 
Al-Qaeda in Iraq is a shadowy group that was once allegedly led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was reportedly killed in June 2006. The group has been blamed for some of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country since the US-led invasion in March 2003.
 
Iraq has seen a surge in violence since the beginning of this year. Over 670 people have been killed in the holy month of Ramadan alone.
 
The United Nations said on August 1 that a total of 1,057 Iraqis were killed and another 2,326 were wounded in acts of terrorism and violence in the month of July, making it the country’s deadliest month since 2008.