BAGHDAD (AP) — An attack on a policeman’s home in central Iraq killed 13 people, including the policeman and his entire family, officials said today.
Violence has been on the rise across Iraq since a deadly crackdown by government forces on a Sunni protest camp in April, and attacks against civilians and security forces notably spiked during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
The surge of attacks has sparked fears that the country could spiral into a new round of widespread sectarian bloodshed similar to that which brought the country to the edge of civil war in 2006- 07.
Months of rallies by Iraq’s minority Sunnis against the Shiite-led government over what they contend is secondclass treatment and the unfair use of tough anti-terrorism measures against their sect has set the stage for the violence. Also, members of the security forces have been a favorite target for Sunni insurgents who consider them as traitors.
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