The Sunni-dominated Al-Mutahudin political bloc accused the central government of launching a sectarian crackdown against residents of predominantly Sunni regions of Iraq. According to the Shi’ite-led government, the operations, which began soon after a pair of jailbreaks near Baghdad, are ostensibly to "root out" al-Qaeda fighters. In recent days, security forces have not only arrested hundreds of people, but they have also killed dozens of suspects.
Thousands of Syrians fleeing the civil war back home have entered Iraqi Kurdistan over the last few days.
At least 13 people were killed and 32 more were wounded in the latest round of attacks.
In Baghdad, a bomb killed two people and wounded nine more in the Amiriya district. Two civilians were killed and eight more were wounded in the nearby Khadraa neighborhood.
Four policemen were killed and seven more were wounded during clashes near Samarra.
In Mosul, gunmen killed a pharmacist. Two policemen were wounded during an attack on their checkpoint.
The body of a kidnapped councilman was discovered near Rashad.
Near Kirkuk, gunmen killed a Sahwa leader and his three-year-old niece and also wounded his seven-year-old nephew.
A teacher was killed in a roadside bombing in Muqdadiya. A Sahwa member and two brothers were wounded in a separate bombing.
A bomb wounded two policemen in Garma.
