DUBAI, UAE - Despite official claims of calm prevailing in Iraq following the conclusion of the Arbaeen pilgrimage, a series of violent incidents shattered that tranquility, with at least 15 security-related incidents reported across the country in the past 24 hours. The incidents include murder, armed conflict, theft, and assault, some involving foreign nationals.

The surge in violence began with the assassination of a man inside his workplace in Baghdad's Kadhimiya district, followed by the discovery of the tortured body of Raed Latif al-Waisi al-Samarrai, who had been missing for four days.

Amid rising concerns for public safety, human rights activists and politicians were also targeted. 

Lawyer Ahmed al-Asadi was shot and killed in his office near the Kadhimiya Court in Baghdad. Less than 24 hours later, another lawyer survived an assassination attempt in Basra’s Al-Zubair district after being attacked by gunmen.

In a separate incident, unknown assailants detonated an explosive device at the office of MP Uday Awad in Basra’s Abi Al-Khasib district late Tuesday night. No casualties were reported.

The violence extended to Salahaddin province, where a family of three was brutally murdered in their home in Baiji. The assailants killed the couple and their child before setting parts of the house on fire. 

In another incident, Iraqi poet Mohammed Al-Bujar was shot and killed while driving in the Al-Sharqat district.

In Maysan province, two people were killed, and a third was injured after gunmen opened fire in the industrial area of the provincial capital. Additionally, a Turkish worker at Al-Hakim Hospital in Maysan was stabbed by unknown attackers, suffering non-life-threatening injuries.

Tribal violence also flared in Dhi Qar province, where a violent clash erupted in the Al-Diwaniyah district. Meanwhile, a brawl involving sticks and stones broke out near Al-Mahaweel Hospital in Babylon province, though no injuries were reported.

In a separate incident, Baghdad police arrested a foreign domestic worker accused of theft. The Baghdad Operations Command also reported the arrest of a gang involved in murder and kidnapping, freeing a woman and her three children who had been held captive in the Al-Zaafaraniya area.

In Basra, authorities arrested a teenager accused of killing his father and hiding the body in retaliation for the father’s alleged sexual assault of his sister. Elsewhere, police in Najaf rescued a woman who had attempted suicide by jumping into the Euphrates River.

In another kidnapping case in Babylon province, police rescued a child and apprehended the kidnappers, who were later found to have been hired by the child’s relatives to frame others over a prior dispute.

Despite continuous efforts by Iraq’s Ministry of Interior to combat crime and terrorism, including regular arrests of suspects, the recent spike in violence has raised concerns among citizens, many of whom blame influential groups for the unrest.