Iraq's grim August toll

[Os Cangaceiros]

(CNN) -- A total of 804 Iraqis were killed and another 2,030 wounded in violence and acts of terrorism in August, the U.N. said Sunday.

August's toll was lower than July's. But, said the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, "the impact of violence on civilians remains disturbingly high."

The capital Baghdad was the worst affected.

July was the deadliest month in Iraq since the peak of sectarian violence in 2006 and 2007. According to figures released by the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, 1,057 Iraqis were killed and another 2,326 were wounded in acts of terrorism and violence in July.

I would post the link, but that's all there is...unless you want to read the comments section. And trust me, you don't want to do that!

[Os Cangaceiros]

Also, does anyone know why violence in Iraq has accelerated recently (to the highest levels in five or six years) ? I haven't really been following the news out of Iraq that much...

[bcbm]

al jazeera has an interesting 'infographic' (http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2013/07/2013724141933455196.html) about it

[greenforest]

IBC has a higher death toll at over 900. The UN monthly death toll has been usually slightly higher the past few months, so it would be interesting to know the discrepancy. Since IBC provides sources for each specific attack that leaves casualties, it's difficult to believe IBC is higher than it should be.

One of the commonly held causes for the increase in violence has been the continuing conflict in Syria w/ funding and fighters reversing the flow back into Iraq after the Islamic State first provided seed money and fighters to the al Nusra Front.

The other reason has been the Iraqi government's crackdown of a Sunni protest camp back in April that left dozens of Sunni Arab protesters dead. There was an immediate spike in violence the next month in May that has continued since. The Islamic State has benefited from Sunni resentment toward Baghdad and the Sunni Spring that spread in Anbar. As yet, the tribes are not behind the Islamic State; however, if that happens, then the Islamic State will have full freedom to operate and numerous resources and recruits to carry out a fight against the rest of Iraq.

[KurtFF8]

Also, does anyone know why violence in Iraq has accelerated recently (to the highest levels in five or six years) ? I haven't really been following the news out of Iraq that much...

From the Al Jaazera infographic that bcbm just posted:



How has the Syrian crisis escalated the violence in Iraq?

The crisis in Syria has strengthened groups of Iraqi fighters and may elevate sectarian tensions.
The outgoing UN envoy to Iraq, Martin Kobler, has warned the security council that "the battlefields are merging" for the Iraqi and Syrian conflicts. "These countries are interrelated," he said. "Iraq is the fault line between the Shia and Sunni world and everything which happens in Syria, of course, has repercussions on the political landscape in Iraq".
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has been active in both regions and is gaining strength and experience through the Syrian conflict, according to statements by deputy director of the Defence Intelligence Agency at the Aspen Security Forum. Al Jazeera correspondents in Iraq concur, saying that the Syrian conflict has increased sectarian tensions, especially on the border regions which the Iraqi government has closed. "What is happening in Syria is definitely affecting Iraq," said Brigadier General Saad Mann, a Interior Ministry spokesman.