Violence in Iraq rose sharply in April, killing 460 people, according to AFP figures, as May started off with attacks that left 13 people dead on Wednesday, including six police and four anti-Qaeda fighters. The majority of the April deaths came during a wave of unrest that began near the end of the month when security forces moved on Sunni anti-government protesters in north Iraq, sparking clashes that killed 53 people.
Dozens more people died in subsequent violence that included revenge attacks on security forces, raising fears of a return to the all-out sectarian conflict that cost tens of thousands of lives in Iraq from 2006 to 2008. It was the deadliest violence so far linked to protests that broke out in Sunni areas of Shia-majority Iraq more than four months ago.
The protesters have called for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shia, to quit, and railed against authorities for allegedly targeting their community with wrongful detentions and accusations of involvement in terrorism. Unrest in April also wounded 1,219 people, according to the AFP figures, which are based on reports from security and medical sources. Among the dead in April were 54 police, 53 soldiers, 14 Sahwa anti-Qaeda militiamen, and two members of the Kurdish security forces. The wounded included 171 police, 76 soldiers, eight Sahwa fighters and five Kurdish security forces members.