Iraq: Suicide bomber targets Interior Ministry, 11 dead

By Dustin M Braden - 23 Aug '14 11:37AM

A suicide bomber blew himself up inside the headquarters of Iraq's intelligence agency one day after a sectarian massacre has brought the possibility of establishing an inclusive Iraqi government into doubt.

The Associated Press reports that 11 people were killed and 24 people were injured in the attack. A security and a medical official confirmed each confirmed those figures. Among the dead were six civilians and five security officials.

The AP points out the attack came just hours after the Iraqi parliament established a body to investigate the circumstances of an attack on a village in Diyala Province that left more than 60 people dead. It has been reported that a Shiite militia massacred Sunnis as they gathered at a mosque for Friday prayers.

The investigation was convened because the Islamic State is known to kill Sunnis who do not accept their rule, even though IS is also a Sunni group. The investigation is expected to take two days.

Initial reports on the massacre in the village of Imam Wais said the mosque killings were retribution by a Shiite militia for an attack on a prominent Shiite tribal leader in the area.

The killings present a steep challenge to the Iraqi government. The rise of IS was made possible in large part because many groups felt that the Iraqi government did not represent them.

This feeling was made real by the previous prime minister Nuri al Maliki. He removed non-Shiites from government and installed Shiites he felt would be loyal to him in important positions in the military and various bureaucracies.

Now that IS has advanced so far, the government has had to rely on Shiite militias to bolster the incompetent Iraqi army. If these militias continue to carry out massacres, or are suspected of them, there will be no way to build trust between the various ethnic and religious communities in Iraq.

Without unity between all these groups, it is not likely that the Iraqi government will be able to mount a viable challenge to the fighters of IS.