A series of bombings and shootings in Iraq killed at least 24 people today, deepening fears that ongoing government efforts to stymie Sunni terror groups had failed – per the Associated Press – “to have dented the insurgents’ ability to stage attacks at a high place.”

At least seven police officers were among today’s victims. The deadliest attack took place south of Baghdad when gunmen shot and killed six people preparing the body of a Sunni man ahead of his funeral. Coordinated car bombs targeted multiple Shiite-majority areas, prompting suspicions that Al Qaeda forces were behind the bombings.

Iraq has seen a surge in unrest since the beginning of 2013, in which nearly 4,000 people have died so far, according to an AFP tally.

Officials have vowed to press on with a campaign targeting militants they say has led to the capture of hundreds of alleged fighters and the killing of dozens more.

Approximately 800 Iraqis were killed in August alone:

More than two years of civil war in neighboring Syria have aggravated deep-rooted sectarian divisions in Iraq, fraying an uneasy government coalition of Shi’ite, Sunni and ethnic Kurdish factions.

Analysts have expressed explicit concerns that Iraq may slide into “the scale sectarian slaughter” of 2006-07.

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