Further south in the Amiriya district of western Baghdad, 19 people were killed by a roadside bomb, which was followed by another attack that killed 8 and wounded more than 20 as Shiia groups targeted mourners gathering for the funeral of a Sunni Muslim cleric who was killed a day earlier in the same neighbourhood. Later in the day a roadside bomb in the Doura district of southern Baghdad killed 3, according to police and medics and two more were killed in the southern outskirts of Baghdad at another Sunni funeral for someone who died in one of a series of attacks in the capital on Thursday 19 May.
As the violence continued and spread to the western environs of Baghdad, and surrounding provinces, four others were killed when a roadside bomb exploded next to a coffee shop in the city of Falluja ending a terrible day in which over 65 people were killed.
The focus of recent weeks violence has predominantly been the north and areas surrounding Baghdad with the western province of Al-Anbar remaining markedly quiet in comparison to other parts of the country. This situation however changed in the latter part of the week as Sunni militants in Al-Anbar mobilized attacking and killing four members of a government backed Sahwa (“Awakening”) militia in a fierce skirmish at the militia headquarters on the outskirts of Garma, 9km east of Fallujah, on Sunday 19 May.
This attack raises an interesting dynamic. The Sahwa militia are Sunni tribesman who helped the US military subdue Al – Qaeda in 2006 and are now on the government payroll, which has meant they are oft targeted by Sunni militants, especially the ISI. Given the recent violence where many ordinary Sunni tribesmen raised militias against Baghdad in the wake of the previous weeks provocations it was felt that the ISI could well use the opportunity to galvanise more support amongst the protest movement and ordinary Sunnis (something previously lacking), many of who despise any groups with linkage to Al-Qaeda and who would use any opportunity to de-legitimise the ISI. It is clear that the continued targeting of ordinary Sunni militias will do little to engender the more extreme views of groups such as the ISI, which could also be viewed as a blessing in disguise by many.
Later in the day gunmen also ambushed and kidnapped 10 Sunni policemen near the provincial capital Ramadi, whilst in other violence, tribesmen clashed with security forces and set four of their vehicles ablaze after a woman and three of her young children were killed in an army raid north of Ramadi.
A car bomb parked near an entrance to the town of Latifiya, south of Baghdad, also killed 5 people.
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