By TIME Video
Sunni insurgents have claimed responsibility for a new series of deadly attacks apparently designed to discourage voting as Iraq holds its first parliamentary elections since U.S. troops pulled out of the country in 2011.
These violent anti-voting attacks have killed at least 160 people over the last week, the BBC reports. Sunni insurgents blame corruption, high unemployment and a rise in sectarian violence on Shi’ite party leader and current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Maliki’s alliance of Shi’ites are expected to win a majority in the election despite the violence.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Introducing the 2024 TIME100 Next
- The Reinvention of J.D. Vance
- How to Survive Election Season Without Losing Your Mind
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Scams
- Did the Pandemic Break Our Brains?
- The Many Lives of Jack Antonoff
- 33 True Crime Documentaries That Shaped the Genre
- Why Gut Health Issues Are More Common in Women
Contact us at letters@time.com