1 June 2013 Last updated at 11:42 GMT
Iraq violence: May was deadliest month for years - UN
Baghdad was the worst hit area of the country
The United Nations says more than 1,000 people were killed in Iraq in May, the
highest monthly death toll for years.
The violence makes it the deadliest month since the wide
sectarian violence of 2006-7, and raising concern that the country is
returning to civil war.
The vast majority of the casualties were civilians, and Baghdad was the worst
hit area of the country.
Martin Kobler, UN envoy to Iraq, called it a "sad record" and urged politicians
to act to stop the bloodshed.Systemic violence risks wider conflict
Multiple bombings have ripped through Shia and Sunni neighbourhoods across the
country over the past few months.
Figures released on Saturday showed 1,045 civilians and
security personnel were killed in May, far higher than the 712 who died
in April, the worst recorded toll since June 2008.
On Thursday, Mr Kobler warned that "systemic violence is
ready to explode at any moment if all Iraqi leaders do not engage
immediately to pull the country out of this mayhem".
Analysts say al-Qaeda and Sunni Islamist insurgents have been invigorated by
the Sunni-led revolt in neighbouring Syria and by the
worsening sectarian tensions in the country.
The BBC's Rami Ruhayem, in Baghdad, says the violence has
been linked to a stand-off between the Sunni minority against the
Shia-dominated order installed following the US-led invasion 10 years
ago.
But the attacks seem to tell a different story, our correspondent says.
Outside of Baghdad, predominantly Sunni areas were badly hit.
On some days, Shia areas across Baghdad appear to have been
the main target, while on others, the Sunni areas outside the capital
saw most explosions.
One explanation is that Sunni militant groups linked to
al-Qaeda want to provoke civil war in Baghdad and undermine the
government in areas they see as their strongholds, our correspondent
says.
But other explanations link the violence to the civil war in neighbouring
Syria, he adds.
The bloodshed has been accompanied by unconfirmed rumours
about sectarian militias roaming Baghdad for revenge, which have caused
fear in many areas of the capital.
The violence has prompted many initiatives aimed at stopping
any slide into civil war, including appeals by clerics and grassroots
tribal campaigns.
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