Iraq War insurgent attacks



After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, resistance movements and militias began launching attacks on both domestic and foreign military targets, as well as civilian targets. In the beginning, foreign civilian targets were attacked, like the Jordanian embassy, UN and Red Cross headquarters. When foreigners became more protected or simply fled Iraq, ordinary Iraqi civilians were attacked, because of sectarian divisions.

Bombings

 * This is a list of major bombings of the Iraq War. For all suicide bombings see List of suicide bombings in Iraq since 2003

2003

 * 2003 Jordanian embassy bombing in Baghdad
 * Canal Hotel bombing
 * Imam Ali Mosque bombing
 * 27 October 2003 Baghdad bombings
 * 2003 Nasiriyah bombing
 * 2003 Karbala bombings

2004

 * 2004 Irbil bombings
 * 2004 Iraq Ashura bombings
 * 21 April 2004 Basra bombings
 * 24 June 2004 Mosul bombings
 * 14 September 2004 Baghdad bombing
 * 30 September 2004 Baghdad bombing
 * December 2004 Karbala and Najaf bombings
 * 2004 Baqubah bombing
 * 2004 Kufa shelling
 * 2004 Forward Operating Base Marez bombing

2005

 * 2005 Al Hillah bombing
 * 2005 Musayyib bombing
 * 17 August 2005 Baghdad bombings
 * 14 September 2005 Baghdad bombing
 * 2005 Khanaqin bombings

2006

 * 5 January 2006 Iraq bombings
 * 22 February 2006 Al-Askari Mosque bombing
 * Buratha Mosque bombing
 * 1 July 2006 Sadr City bombing
 * 23 November 2006 Sadr City bombings

2007

 * 2007 Baghdad Mustansiriya University bombing
 * 22 January 2007 Baghdad bombings
 * 3 February 2007 Baghdad market bombing
 * 12 February 2007 Baghdad bombings
 * 18 February 2007 Baghdad bombings
 * 2007 Al Hillah bombings
 * 2007 Tal Afar bombings
 * 29 March 2007 Baghdad bombings
 * 2007 Iraqi Parliament bombing
 * Imam Hussein Mosque bombing
 * 18 April 2007 Baghdad bombings
 * Imam Abbas mosque bombing
 * 13 May 2007 Makhmoor bombing
 * Second bombing of Al-Askari Mosque
 * Al-Khilani Mosque bombing
 * 2007 Amirli bombing
 * 2007 Kirkuk bombings
 * 26 July 2007 Baghdad market bombing
 * 1 August 2007 Baghdad bombings
 * 2007 Kahtaniya bombings
 * 2007 Al Amarah bombings

2008

 * 1 February 2008 Baghdad bombings
 * 2008 Balad bombing
 * 6 March 2008 Baghdad bombing
 * 2008 Karbala bombing
 * 17 June 2008 Baghdad bombing
 * 15 July 2008 Baquba bombings
 * 12 September 2008 Dujail bombing
 * Abdullah restaurant bombing

2009

 * 2009 Baghdad police recruitment centre bombing
 * 6 April 2009 Baghdad bombings
 * 23 April 2009 Iraqi suicide attacks
 * 20 June 2009 Taza bombing
 * 24 June 2009 Baghdad bombing
 * 2009 Kirkuk bombing
 * 9 July 2009 Tal Afar bombing
 * 19 August 2009 Baghdad bombings
 * 25 October 2009 Baghdad bombings
 * 8 December 2009 Baghdad bombings

2010

 * 25 January 2010 Baghdad bombings
 * 1 February 2010 Baghdad bombing
 * 3 March 2010 Baqubah bombings
 * April 4, 2010 Baghdad bombings
 * 6 April 2010 Baghdad bombings
 * April 2010 Baghdad bombings
 * 10 May 2010 Iraq attacks
 * July 2010 Baghdad attacks
 * 17 August 2010 Baghdad bombing
 * 25 August 2010 Iraq bombings
 * 19 September 2010 Baghdad bombings
 * October 2010 Baghdad church attack
 * 2 November 2010 Baghdad bombings

2011

 * 22 December 2011 Baghdad bombings

2012

 * 23 July 2012 Iraq attacks
 * 16 August 2012 Iraq attacks

Post US-pullout
Following the withdrawal of US forces and the formal end of the "Iraq War," insurgent attacks have continued.

Kidnappings and hostages
Beginning in April 2004, members of the Iraqi insurgency began taking hostage foreign civilians in Iraq. Since then, they have kidnapped more than 200 foreigners and thousands of Iraqis; among them, 30 foreign hostages have been killed. The motives behind these kidnappings include influencing foreign governments with troops in Iraq and foreign companies with workers there, as well as ransom money and discouraging travel to Iraq. In 2004, executions of captives were often filmed, and several were beheaded. However, the number of videotaped killings has decreased significantly, and now the deaths of hostages are often announced only in a statement. Many hostages remain missing with no clue as to their whereabouts. The US Department of State Hostage Working Group was organized by the US embassy in Baghdad in the summer of 2004 to monitor hostages in Iraq.

Assassinations
Since the beginning of the insurgency, several high-profile people have been assassinated. These included:
 * Sergio Vieira de Mello - Brazilian United Nations diplomat who worked as the Secretary-General's Special Representative in Iraq. (2003)
 * Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim - One of the foremost Twelver Shi'a Muslim leaders in Iraq. (2003)
 * Akila al-Hashimi (2003)
 * Izzedine Salim (2004)
 * Dhari Ali al-Fayadh (2004)
 * Mohammed Awad (2007)
 * Sheikh Sittar - Iraqi tribal sheikh. He was leader of an alliance of Iraqi Sunni Arab tribe that opposed al-Qaeda in Iraq, and son of the chief of the Albu Risha clan, a subset of the Dulaim tribe, the largest and most important tribe in Iraq.(2007)

Chemical warfare attacks
During 2007, insurgents exploded several chlorine containers attacking Iraqi civilians. Hundreds were killed and many more injured.

Awareness of US opinion on the war
One study has compared the number of insurgent attacks in Iraq to the number of "anti-resolve" statements in the US media, the release of public opinion polls, and geographic variations in access to international media by Iraqis. The purpose was to determine if insurgents responded to information on "casualty sensitivity." The researchers found that insurgent attacks spiked by 5 to 10% after increases in the number of negative reports of the war in the media. The authors identified this as an "emboldenment effect" and concluded "insurgent groups respond rationally to expected probability of US withdrawal."

In a response, Camillo Mac Bica has expressed surprise that an "unpublished . . . working paper" had excited as much interest as it did among media outlets and bloggers. He argued that the research methodology utilized in this study was flawed and that the researchers, despite recognizing and acknowledging the inadequacies of their argument, continued to draw conclusions not indicated by their findings.