BAGHDAD — Less than a month after parliamentary elections, Iraq has
begun to brace for civil war.
On Jan. 8, the Iraqi Defense Ministry issued a statement that warned of
a civil war between the nation's three main ethnic communities. The ministry
said the war could be sparked by the current outbreak of terrorism.
Officials said the resurgence of suicide bombings and other violence
could mark the start of a conflict that would pit Sunnis against Shi'ites
and Kurds in Iraq. They said the Sunnis have sought to infiltrate and
control the nation's security forces to support such an effort.
After a lull of more than a month, Sunni insurgents have launched a wave
of suicide bombings, mostly in the Baghdad area. So far, about 250 people
have been killed over the last week.
On Monday, at least 29 people were killed when two suicide bombers
dressed as officers blew themselves up during a police parade held by the
Interior Ministry in Baghdad. The U.S. ambassador as well as Iraqi ministers
were in attendance, but they were not said to have been injured.
Al Qaida took responsibility for the suicide bombings. "The lions of Al
Qaida in Iraq were able to conduct a new raid on the Interior Ministry,
taking revenge for Allah's religion and the Sunnis, who are being tortured
in the ministry's cellars," Al Qaida said.
Officials said the latest attacks appeared to target Iraqi police as
well as Shi'ites. They said Sunni insurgents, some of them with the help of
politicians, have infiltrated the Iraqi military and security forces.
At the same time, the Shi'ite Badr Force has become more active and
believed to have assassinated Sunni politicians. Officials said the Badr
Force, aligned with Iran, has coopted
many of the Shi'ite officials in the central government in Baghdad.
The Defense Ministry warned that the government would not stand
by helplessly as the country moved toward civil war. The statement said the
ministry would take unspecified "decisive measures to avert any potential
consequences."
