Deadly Bombings Prove Devastating

A series of car bombs exploded outside Shiite mosques in Baghdad on Friday, April 23, killing at least 61 people and wounding more than 100, according to The Washington Post. Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his militia to protect the worshippers hours after the blasts started. The 10 blasts occured in Sadr City, which is named after the cleric's father.

Thousands of worshippers joined outdoors in the capital for Friday's midday prayers. Residents began throwing bricks at the Iraqi forces that arrived in the area minutes after the blasts. The soldiers opened fire on the residents, killing some and injuring many more.

In Sadr City, at least 39 people were killed in two blasts. Three other blasts occurred outside mosques in Hurriyah, Ameen, and Zafraniya, which are also Sadr strongholds. At least 19 people were killed in those blasts, Iraqi police officials said.

United States and Iraqi forces have had a long history with Sadr's Mahdi Army since 2004.  The army has been very quiet since 2008, when it negotiated a truce with the government. The U.S. government believes the new clashes might be starting because of the contentious political negotiations surrounding the formation of a new government.  The army seems to have laid down its weapons for a short period of time, but plan to rejoin the fight if need be.

The Sadrist movement is strongly opposed to the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq. According to The Washington Post, "There is an invitation from Moqtada Sadr to members of the Mahdi Army to cooperate with security forces," Hazim al-Aaraji, a leader in the movement, said. He went on to say "This is in order to provide protection for the worshippers."

Sadr has enormous influence in Shiite communities because many Shiites believe they have been abandoned by their government. At the March 7 elections, the Sadr party won 40 seats in the parliamentary elections and will have an influential role in the election of the next prime minister, said The Washington Post.

Over the years there have been attacks on various religious sites that have undermined the credibility of the Shiite government. Despite the sudden bloodshed, Ali al-Moussawi, a media adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said the government would not tolerate the return of militias.

His statement, according to The Washington Post said, "We do not admit any side carrying weapons or working outside the framework of the state.  Providing security is the responsibility of the Iraqi government only."

The media advisor believes al-Qaeda is responsible for the attacks on Friday since they could be in response to the killing of the organization's top two leaders in northern Iraq last weekend. A U.S. counterterrorism official claimed intelligence agencies learned that al-Qaeda was indeed spearheading the strikes on Friday because they were shaken by the killing of the group's leaders.

According to The Washington Post, "There are strong indications that AQI terrorists are deeply concerned about the recent loss of some of their top figures," the official said. "At the same time, AQI members retain the capability to do bad things, even when their morale seems low. They can still mount deadly attacks, even with weapons that aren't particularly sophisticated." 

The attacks that occurred on Friday show the ability of al-Qaeda to carry out attacks, despite losing their top two leaders.

Another attack occurred in the town of Khaldiyah, in Anbar province, west of the capital, with six explosions. Iraqi officials said at least nine people were killed in those blasts. 

U.S. forces gained knowledge of the bombings when they killed the top two al-Qaeda leaders last week from intelligence they had received. The intelligence reports stated that attacks would be carried out on Shiite mosques and bridges.