UN: Iraq;ready to explode; in recent wave of deadly attacks

USPA News - With the wave of recent attacks in Iraq and hundreds of deaths in the last weeks, the United Nations (UN) on Thursday urged for immediate action as the country is "ready to explode." The increasing violence in the Middle Eastern country may re-ignite widespread sectarian strife unless the country`s leaders take immediate action, the top UN envoy warned amid the latest wave of deadly attacks.

Anbar province governor reportedly escaped an assassination attempt when twin bombs exploded near his convoy, injuring four of his bodyguards, as a fresh wave of deadly bombings struck the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Over 100 people have died since Monday, when a number of bombings in Baghdad killed more than 50 people. In May alone, estimates of over 500 deaths have been reported in such attacks. Martin Kobler, the UN Secretary-General?s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), condemned the attack against the governor`s convoy In a news release issued in Baghdad in which he voiced his dismay at the horrific toll of lives lost following the "new criminal wave of attacks against innocent civilians," particularly targeting the capital. "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," Kobler stated, reiterating the call he made on the country`s leaders earlier this week. On Wednesday, in an exchange of views with European parliamentarians, Kobler voiced serious concerns over the heightened level of violence in Iraq and the dangers of the country falling back into sectarian strife, if decisive action is not taken by its political leaders. "The country stands at a crossroads," he stated, calling for a stronger European Union role in dealing with the developments unfolding in the country, and for increased interaction with the Iraqi Council of Representatives.