Iraq's prime minister stated Saturday that insurgents will likely intensify their attacks in the run-up to January elections in a bid to destroy national unity and political stability. "Terrorists are increasing their attacks here and there because they recognize that we are about to have a political breakthrough," Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said, according to the AP.
"We have taken big steps during a difficult period, and there are still more steps to take to overcome the remaining obstacles," the Iraqi leader added. He also warned Iraqis there would be "decisive battles" with insurgents in the months leading up to the January elections.
Iraq has suffered a series of deadly bombings in recent weeks, marking the worst violence since the American army handed over security of cities to Iraqi troops on June 30.
Despite the recent escalation, Iraqi security forces Saturday removed concrete blast walls from a major road in northern Baghdad's primarily Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah, as part of plan to remove most of the barriers by mid-September to ease congestion and improve the appearance of streets.
