The bombings in Baghdad and Basra on May 20 were no different from their predecessors in terms of the method of execution, the number of victims or the importance of the targets. But they did raise several new questions about the adequacy of crime-scene analysis. Iraqi security sources confirmed that a series of bomb blasts on Wednesday, May 15 claimed 137 lives in the simultaneous detonation of 10 vehicles rigged with explosives in the Baghdad neighborhoods of Al-Jadidah, Al-Muhstal, Al-Zaghraniyyah (south of Baghdad), Al-Kazimiyyah, Al-Husayniyyah (north of Baghdad), Al-Mualif (west of Baghdad) and Sadr City (east of Baghdad).
The targeted neighborhoods are densely populated and majority Shiite, and are not considered particular centers of official governmental institutions. They do, however, constitute attractive targets for those working to stoke sectarian violence in Iraq. The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq ranked April as the bloodiest month in Iraq since 2008, stating, "A total of 712 people were killed and another 1,633 were wounded in acts of terrorism and violence."
According to the UN mission, among those killed were 595 civilians and non-military personnel, including 161 police officers. Meanwhile, 1,438 civilians and non-military personnel were wounded as a result of these acts, including 290 police officers. These casualties were in addition to the 290 members of the Iraqi security services who were killed, and the 195 others who were wounded. The mission's statement went on to say that the Iraqi capital of Baghdad endured the brunt of these attacks, as the number of civilian and non-military victims there totaled 697, including 211 individuals killed and another 486 wounded. This area was followed by the provinces of Diyala, Saladin, Kirkuk, Ninevah and Anbar.
The criticism directed at the Iraqi security services' performance dwells on their failure to discover these bombing operations before they were carried out. The dozens of inspection checkpoints set up on the streets and entry points to Iraq's cities failed to prevent large numbers of explosive-rigged vehicles from sneaking in, finding their way to their targets and then carrying out their attacks simultaneously. However, the period following such attacks was also given to scenes of chaos and inefficacy on the part of the security services in restoring order at the bombing site.
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