Baghdad on High Alert following Recent Bombings

The source said, “The investigations that Abadi as commander in chief of the armed forces ordered to open due to security breaches in Baghdad proved that security officials neglected the tasks of protecting civilians.”

Since May 22, tight security measures have been taken in Baghdad. A security source at the Interior Ministry told the media May 21, “The joint forces [the Iraqi army, police and the Popular Mobilization Units] have taken strict security measures in the Baghdad Belt, particularly in Abu Ghraib, Yusufiyah, Rashidiya and al-Mada'in, in anticipation of any terrorist attacks that could be carried out from these parts against Baghdad.”

The source added, “The crackdown in some of these parts prohibited the movement of people and vehicles; the area has become almost under a curfew.”

Security expert Maj. Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf told Al-Monitor, “IS is well-equipped and has employed several people to carry out terrorist acts. This sign of danger requires that significant intelligence efforts be made to identify and dismantle these cells before they conduct any terrorist acts.”

Khalaf added, “The security investigations proved that the Baghdad Belt is not the source of terrorist acts occurring in Baghdad. Rather there are sleeper cells within the capital, and these cells are contributing and conducting the ongoing bombings in the Iraqi capital.”