A Cycle Renewed

In a recent New York Times Article "As Sunnis Die In Iraq, A Cycle Is Restarting" By Alissa J. Rubin and Rod Nordland there is an account of the most recent skirmishes and killings in the violent turmoil in Iraq. With militant group known as The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria or ISIS pressing further south through Iraq sectarian violence in Iraq is ramping up again. ISIS along with other Sunni militant groups of similar alignment laid siege to Baquba, a city only 44 mile from Baghdad. The militants took control of portions of the city before being repelled by Shiite militia after a three hour gun battle. The fact that the militants are willing to operate with such proximity to the capital city of Baghdad does not bode well for the Shiite government attempting to regain control of the country.

The people killed during the skirmish where not the only victims of the violence in Baquba however. During the battle militant forces attacked a local police station, the police officers inside responded by executing the 44 Sunni prisoners being held within the police station. The Sunni prisoners we reportedly being held for interrogation on suspicion of terrorism. The liberation of these men may have been the motive to attack the police station if not the city as well. The Shiite militia claims the Sunni Prisoners were mainly killed by grenades and mortar fire by the militant fighters. However, a source within the morgue says that most of the prisoners were killed by gunfire at close range. This paints a dark picture of bloody reprisal for the militant attacks, or perhaps the Shiite police officers were not interested in allowing the prisoners the opportunity of joining ranks with the militants.

Beyond the bloody skirmishes, people are dying in other parts of the country. 4 unidentified bodies were found in a Baghdad community; they had been tortured and shot repeatedly. It is suspected they were Sunni men killed in retaliation of a suicide bombing that killed 14 in a Shiite neighborhood the day before. As the violence in Iraq continues over control of the nation, there will certainly be more sectarian violence located away from the battlefield. Hopefully this wave of violence will not reach the staggering proportions of 2006 and 2007 when as many as 80 bodies a day were found in Baghdad communities. Unfortunately, hope is a luxury that Iraqis can ill afford in the current volatile climate.