Iraqi bomber confession
Inside Story

Iraq’s new wave of violence

We discuss the message behind the latest deadly attacks in Baghdad and its impact.

A man is said to have confessed that he planned a bomb attack that killed 95 people and injured over 500 others in Baghdad on August 19.

It was one of the deadliest attacks in months, and the worst day of carnage to hit the Iraqi capital since the US troops’ pull-out.

One vehicle exploded outside the Foreign Ministry – near the heavily guarded Green Zone and there was another explosion near the Ministry of Finance.

Unusual about these attacks was that they hit areas considered to be some of the safest in the Iraqi capital with extremely high levels of security.

The Iraqi military has released a video of what it says is the confession of the man behind the massacre.
 
What message is being sent by the latest violence? Is it a test for the Iraqi security forces that took over from US forces? Is Iraq sliding back into deadly chaos? And as Iraqi politicians are trading accusations, what does it mean for the already polarised political scene in the country?
 
Inside Story presenter Sohail Rahman is joined by Saad Muttalibi, an advisor to the Ministry of Dialogue and Reconcilliation, Sabah al-Mukhtar, the president of the Arab Lawyers Association, and Todd Kent, a senior associate professor at the Doha Branch of the Texas A&M University.

This episode of Inside Story aired from Monday, August 24, 2009.