The Mahdi Army laying low, and Sunni militants step up attacks in Baghdad. "Basim Shareef, a member of Parliament and part of the Shiite coalition that controls the government, said the attacks might be timed to coincide with the Shiite holy days. But he thought it was more likely that militants were taking advantage of the relative lull in activity by Shiite militia leaders, who might be worried about becoming the targets of the new Baghdad security plan. ... The spate of recent attacks appear to have been designed not just to inflict the maximum amount of civilian suffering, but also to grind all aspects of daily life closer to a halt. In a little over a week, places of learning, busy shopping markets and even an animal market have been targets."

Posted by Laura at January 27, 2007 06:43 PM