Al Qaeda’s branch in Iraq claimed responsibility Tuesday for brazen raids on two high-security prisons on the outskirts of Baghdad this week that killed dozens and set free hundreds of suspected militants, including some of its followers. The raids, which killed at least 25 members of the Iraqi security forces, appear to be more evidence the terrorist group is regaining strength and becoming a primary threat to destabilize an already fragile government
The statement issued in the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the al Qaeda affiliate in Iraq, was posted on an online jihadist forum. It said months of planning went into the highly coordinated assaults on the prisons in Abu Ghraib and Taji that began late Sunday.
The attacks, among the most stunning in Iraq since a surge in violence began in April, have provoked sharp criticism from opposition lawmakers of the government’s efforts to keep the country safe. The spike in bloodshed is intensifying fears of a return to the widespread sectarian killing that pushed the country to the brink of civil war after the 2003 US-led invasion.
Former UN Ambassador John Bolton told Fox News Tuesday that the raids reflect growing sectarian conflict inside Iraq as the “Sunnis become more radicalized in the conflict with the Shia-led government of Prime Minister al-Maliki.”
“I think it’s very bad news,” Bolton said, adding that he believes the raids will have “significant implications worldwide.”
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