Excerpt
MARGARET WARNER (Newshour): The bombings and shootings tore through Iraq on the fourth day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It was the worst day of violence there in two years.
Suspicion fell on the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaida in Iraq, known for mounting closely coordinated strikes. In recent days, the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was said to have used the group's website to announce a new offensive, code-named ‘Breaking the Walls.'
ABU BAKR AL-BAGHDADI, Al-Qaida in Iraq (through translator): At the top your priorities regarding targets is to chase and liquidate the judges, the investigators and the guards.
MARGARET WARNER: Today saw 37 separate attacks in 15 cities. Most hit government, military and police targets.
"Iraq Attacks are Worst Insurgent Violence in Years" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 7/23/2012
Excerpt
SUMMARY: Monday's deadly attacks come just as tension between Sunnis and Shiites has increased and just after al-Qaida leadership declared they intend to free prisoners and assassinate court officials. Margaret Warner talks to Al-Jazeera's Jane Arraf in Baghdad about what the attacks mean for the possible resurgence of al-Qaida.
COMMENT: As I've said in the past, we (the West) need to remember that the region, and Iraq, has a very long history and culture of tribalism. The people's loyalty is 1st to their tribe, 2nd to the country. Then overshadowing that is fanatic Islamic religion.
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