The Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaeda affiliate group, said in a statement posted on a militant website that it was behind the recent attacks. They called the attacks the start of a campaign called "Destroying the Walls" which was announced last week by the local insurgency’s leader, Al-Baghdadi.
He said the network’s aim was to rebuild tribal alliances in order to make a comeback in Sunni areas from which it had retreated in 2007 and 2008.
Over 100 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in bomb and gun attacks on Monday. It was by far the bloodiest day of violence since US troops withdrew in December. A day earlier 20 was killed in bombings as part of a co-ordinated surge of violence.
The Islamic State of Iraq often hits Shi’ite targets to try to stir up the type of sectarian violence that drove Iraq to the edge of civil war and killed tens of thousands of people in 2006 and 2007.
And the bloodshed coincided with an intensifying of the conflict in Syria. Iraq’s province of Anbar, which is a Sunni heartland, borders Syria. It is nervous about the impact of the conflict in its neighbor.
Iraqi officials have warned that al Qaeda militants are passing in and out of Syria through the 680 km border between the two countries. Baghdad has sent troops and tanks to the frontier to strengthen security.
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