Death tolls in Baghdad have spiked over the last month, as United States military forces prepare to leave Iraq, with local residents blaming either Iran or members of former dictator Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath Party.
“Two bombs and a rocket attack struck the Iraqi capital Monday, just weeks before the final pullout of U.S. forces from the country,” reports Sahar Issa of McClatchy Newspapers. The explosions brought to 100 the number of people killed in the capital so far in November, up from 62 in October.”
After two car bombs, including one detonated by a suicide bomber, killed at least 13 people on Monday, one local baker suggested that old supporters of Saddam Hussei are trying to capitalize on the withdrawal of American forces. “The Ba’athists will make a strong effort to regain control of the country after the Americans leave. It is their best chance. The government is not really in control,” he said.
If not Saddam loyalists, could it perhaps be Iran? “With more than a hundred thousand soldiers in Iraq, America was not able to stop Iran from taking over Iraq,” said Anees Majid, a local college student:
