People Are Dying in Iraq by the Hundreds

Multiple attacks in Iraq on Tuesday claimed dozens of lives as that country’s internal conflict heats up. The U.N. says 1,861 people were killed by violence in July and August.

Reuters has a sampling of Tuesday’s mayhem:

Gunmen ambushed a minibus carrying soldiers and policemen on the way to join units in the northern city of Mosul, shooting dead eight of them in a town 50 km south of the city.

In the capital, a series of car bombs exploded in Shi’ite neighborhoods in southern and eastern districts, killing at least 15 people, police and medical sources said.

With the Syrian civil war drawing the world’s attention, the persistent suffering in neighboring Iraq has gotten less ink. As President Obama and Congress contemplate military strikes against Damascus, they should be reminded of the lingering consequences of past misadventures.

— Posted by Peter Z. Scheer