9 September 2012 Iraq attacks

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9 September Iraq attacks
Part of Iraqi insurgency
Locationacross Iraq
Date9 September 2012 (UTC+3)
TargetIraqi security forces, Shi'ite civilians
Attack type
Car bombings, roadside bombings, shootings
Weapons Car bombs, IEDs, automatic weapons
Deathsat least 108 [1]
Injuredat least 371 [2]
PerpetratorsIslamic State flag.svg Islamic State of Iraq

The 9 September 2012 Iraq attacks were a series of coordinated bombings and shootings across the capital Baghdad and several major cities in the north and south of the country. At least 108 people were killed and 371 injured in the first major insurgent action since a similar wave of violence almost a month earlier. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Background

The attacks occurred about nine months following the withdrawal of the United States military forces from the area, leaving the security of the country in the hands of the Iraqi security forces. Several major attacks took place in the months of June, July and August, following a statement released by Islamic State of Iraq to announce the start of a new "offensive".

During the afternoon, fugitive Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi and his son-in-law were sentenced to death in absentia [4] based on the verdict of the Central Criminal Court of Iraq that found him guilty of two murders. [5] [6] Abdul Sattar al-Berqdar, a spokesman for Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, said that Hashimi was sentenced to hang "because he was involved directly in killing a female lawyer and a general with the Iraqi army." [7] A third charge against Hashimi was dismissed for lack of evidence. [5] The death sentences are not final, and can be appealed within 30 days. [5] [7]

A political ally of Hashimi criticized the ruling, saying that the trial was not fair because Hashimi was not in Baghdad to defend himself. A lawmaker in Iraqiya, Nada al-Jbouri, criticized the timing of the sentence, which occurred as "Iraq is preparing for a big national reconciliation in the near future in order to achieve stability in this country." [7]

Soon after the verdict was made public, a series of at least five car bombings shook mostly Shi'ite areas of the capital Baghdad, killing 32 and injuring 102 others. [3] Iraqi sources later revised the death toll to at least 51. [8]

Attacks

Numerous attacks were conducted within hours of each other on 9 September 2012 across Baghdad and several provinces in Iraq. [1] [2] [3] [9] [10]

In total, at least 108 were killed and 371 injured across the country.

Perpetrators

The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement posted online, saying they were in response to the "campaign of extermination and torture of Sunni Muslim detainees in Safavid prisons". The Iraqi government executed at least 26 people in August, many of them on terrorism charges. [11]

Reactions

Domestic

International

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Explosions kill 58 in Iraq, French consulate hit". Reuters. 9 September 2012. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Insurgents Carry Out Wave of Attacks Across Iraq". The New York Times. 9 September 2012. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "Car Bombs Kill 32 in Baghdad: Officials". Inquirer. Agence France-Presse. 9 September 2012. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  4. "Insurgents Carry Out Wave of Attacks Across Iraq". The New York Times. Associated Press. 9 September 2012. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 "Iraq VP Tariq al-Hashemi sentenced to death". BBC. 9 September 2012. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  6. "Fugitive Iraqi vice president sentenced to death". Reuters. Baghdad. 9 September 2012. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Mohammed Tawfeeq (9 September 2012). "Fugitive Iraq VP sentenced to death, official says". CNN News. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  8. "Death toll rises to 51 in Baghdad blasts". AlertNet. Thomson Reuters Foundation. 9 September 2012. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013.
  9. Raheem, Kareem (9 September 2012). "Iraq blasts kill 100 as fugitive VP gets death sentence". AlertNet. Thomson Reuters Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013.
  10. Salman, Raheem (9 September 2012). "Fugitive Iraqi VP gets death sentence as bombs kill 80". AlertNet. Thomson Reuters Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013.
  11. "al-qaeda claims latest deadly Iraq attacks". The Asian Age. Archived from the original on 17 September 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Insurgents Stage Deadly Attacks Across Iraq". WBUR. The Associated Press. 9 September 2012. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2023.