BAGHDAD, Iraq – A series of suicide attacks, shootings, and rocket strikes have claimed dozens of lives this week in Iraq. The sudden rise of violence despite of additional 30,000 troops deployed in critical areas underscore the precarious nature of security in the country.

On early Sunday morning, 13 Iraqi soldiers died when a suicide attacker drove a fuel tanker into an army base in Mosul in northern Iraq. At least 40 people were also injured when the attack caused a massive blast. In other violence:

· Drive-by shooting in a Baghdad market claimed seven lives and injured 16 people

· Rocket strikes in Baghdad’s heavily-fortified Green Zone killed at least fifteen people, eight of whom were civilians

· A suicide car bomb killed at least three people near Samara

· A roadside bomb killed five Iraqi soldiers close to the city of Kirkuk

Violence in Iraq had declined since the stationing of extra 30,000 troops last June. But this week’s attacks have shown that any improvements made in security can deteriorate anytime.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press – 42 die in series of attacks across Iraq – 23 March 2008

BBC News – Dozens die in attacks across Iraq – 23 March 2008

AFP – 54 killed in Iraq bloodshed – 23 March 2008

International Herald Tribune – Rockets hit Green Zone in Iraq – 23 March 2008