Bombings were a regular occurrence during the Iraq War. They resulted in tens of thousands of casualties throughout the country, killing and wounding civilians and combatants alike. Many Iraqi insurgents favoured the tactic of suicide bombing, which was used at a particularly unprecedented scale against the American-led Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF–I). Additionally, during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the United States and the United Kingdom collectively dropped 29,199 bombs on the country. This article does not list these aerial attacks, and instead concentrates on the smaller number of direct insurgent bombings during the sectarian conflict, when Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims fought each other on the one hand and the MNF–I on the other hand.

Insurgency Most of the organized bombings were carried out by Sunni insurgents affiliated with Jama'at al-Tawhid wal Jihad, Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Jama'at Ansar al-Sunna, and the Islamic State of Iraq, among others. The main targets of these bombings were MNF–I troops and private military contractors, as well as local Iraqi collaborators. Upon the outbreak of the Iraqi civil war in 2006, the various Sunni and Shia militant groups fighting in the country had effectively shifted their focus away from the MNF–I and began increasingly targeting Iraqi civilians on the basis of their sectarian affiliation.

A 2005 report by Human Rights Watch analyzed the Iraqi insurgency and highlighted: "The groups that are most responsible for the abuse, namely al-Qaeda in Iraq and its allies, Ansar al-Sunna and the Islamic State of Iraq, have all targeted civilians for abductions and executions. The first two groups have repeatedly boasted about massive car bombs and suicide bombs in mosques, markets, bus stations and other civilian areas. Such acts are war crimes and in some cases may constitute crimes against humanity, which are defined as serious crimes committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population."

A 2008 research brief by the RAND Corporation on the subject of counter-insurgency tactics in Iraq between 2003 and 2006 depicts a chart that shows that in June and July 2004, Iraqi insurgents began to shift their focus away from attacking coalition forces with roadside bombs and instead began targeting the Iraqi population with suicide bombers and vehicle-borne IEDs. By increasing the number of suicide bombings against civilians and accepting their targeting in retribution, the insurgents sought to expose the weakness of the coalition's and Iraqi government's security and reconstruction apparatus, threaten those who collaborated with the government, generate funds and propaganda, and increasingly enact sectarian revenge. The U.S. failure to adapt to this shift had dramatic consequences. By June 2004, U.S. deaths represented less than 10% of overall deaths on the battlefield and Iraqi deaths represented more than 90%—a figure that remained constant for the next 18 months of the war.

An analysis by Iraq Body Count and co-authors published in 2011 concluded that at least 12,284 civilians were killed in at least 1,003 suicide bombings in Iraq between 2003 and 2010. The study states that suicide bombings killed 60 times as many civilians as they did soldiers.

Bombings by the invasion forces

This article does not list airstrikes and other bombings by the USA and allied invasion forces. According to the USAF (Operation Iraqi Freedom–By The Numbers, 30 April 2003), as analysed by Human Rights Watch, the first phase of the military campaign included 41,404 sorties by 1,801 aircraft dropping over 29,000 munitions and 247,000 submunitions (from cluster bombs) in the three weeks between 20 March and 9 April 2003.

+ Precision-guided munitionsDesignationName or NicknameTypeNumberBGM-109Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM)Cruise Missile802AGM-114HellfireLaser-Guided Missile562AGM-130Television- or Infrared-Guided Missile4AGM-65MaverickTelevision-, Infrared-, or Laser-Guided Missile918AGM-84Stand Off Land Attack Missile-Extended Response (SLAM(ER))Cruise Missile3AGM-86C/DConventional Air-Launched Cruise Missile (CALCM)Cruise Missile153AGM-88High Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM)Anti-Radar Missile408AGM-154Joint Stand Off Weapon (JSOW)GPS/Inertial Navigation System-Guided Glide Missile253EGBU-27PenetratorLaser- and GPS-Guided Missile (2,000 lb)98GBU-10Paveway IILaser-Guided Bomb (2,000 lb)236GBU-12Paveway IILaser-Guided Bomb (500 lb)7,114GBU-16Paveway IILaser-Guided Bomb (1,000 lb)1,233GBU-24Paveway IIILaser-Guided Bomb (2,000 lb)23GBU-27PenetratorLaser-Guided Bomb (2,000 lb)11GBU-28Bunker BusterLaser-Guided Bomb (5,000 lb)1GBU-31Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)GPS-Guided Bomb (2,000 lb)5,086GBU-32JDAMGPS-Guided Bomb (1,000 lb)768GBU-35JDAMGPS-Guided Bomb (1,000 lb)675GBU-37JDAMGPS-Guided Bomb (5,000 lb)13VariousU.K. Guided Munitions679Total19,040

+ Unguided unitary munitionsDesignationTypeNumberM117General Purpose Bomb (750 lb)1,625Mk-82General Purpose Bomb (500 lb)5,504Mk-83General Purpose Bomb (1,000 lb)1,692Mk-84General Purpose Bomb (2,000 lb)6VariousU.K. General Purpose Bombs58Total8,885

+ Cluster bombsDesignationNameGuidanceNumberSubmunitions per WeaponTotal SubmunitionsCBU-87Unguided11820223,836CBU-99RockeyeUnguided18224744,954CBU-103WCMD818202165,236CBU-105Sensor Fuzed WeaponWCMD, Infrared8840

(10 submunitions with 4 skeets)3,520CBU-107Passive Attack Weapon SystemWCMD Non-explosiveUK RBL-755Unguided7014710,290Total1,276 247,836

Bombings by the insurgency This article lists bombings by the insurgency during the Iraq War, which took place between 2003 and 2011. For bombings that occurred following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, see: List of bombings during the Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013).

DateCityAttackDeaths Perpetrator(s)Source7 August 2003Baghdad2003 Jordanian embassy bombing in Baghdad17Unknown19 August 2003BaghdadCanal Hotel bombing23 Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad29 August 2003NajafImam Ali Mosque bombing95Unknown27 October 2003Baghdad27 October 2003 Baghdad bombings34Unknown12 November 2003Nasiriyah2003 Nasiriyah bombing28 Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad27 December 2003Karbala2003 Karbala bombings19 Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad1 February 2004Erbil2004 Erbil bombings114Unknown2 March 2004Karbala and Baghdad 2004 Ashura bombings in Iraq158Unknown21 April 2004Basra 21 April 2004 Basra bombings74Unknown24 June 2004Mosul 2004 Mosul bombings62 Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad28 July 2004Baqubah 2004 Baqubah bombing68Unknown26 August 2004Kufa 2004 Kufa mosque bombing74Unknown14 September 2004Baghdad 14 September 2004 Baghdad bombing47Unknown30 September 2004Baghdad 30 September 2004 Baghdad bombing41 Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad19 December 2004Karbala and Najaf 2004 Karbala and Najaf bombings66Unknown21 December 2004Mosul 2004 Forward Operating Base Marez bombing22 Jamaat Ansar al-Sunna19 January 2005Baghdad 19 January 2005 Baghdad bombings26 Tanzim Qa'idat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn28 February 2005Hillah 2005 Al Hillah bombing127Raed Mansour al-Banna16 July 2005Baghdad 2005 Musayyib bombing100Unknown17 August 2005Musayyib 17 August 2005 Baghdad bombings43Unknown18 November 2005Khanaqin 2005 Khanaqin bombings74Unknown5 January 2006Karbala and Ramadi 5 January 2006 Iraq bombings140Unknown22 February 2006Samarra 2006 al-Askari mosque bombing0Unknown7 April 2006Baghdad Buratha mosque bombing85Unknown1 July 2006Baghdad 1 July 2006 Sadr City bombing77"The Supporters of the Sunni People"23 November 2006Baghdad 23 November 2006 Sadr City bombings215Unknown16 January 2007Baghdad Mustansiriya University bombings70Unknown22 January 2007Baghdad 22 January 2007 Baghdad bombings88Unknown3 February 2007Baghdad 3 February 2007 Baghdad market bombing135Unknown12 February 2007Baghdad 12 February 2007 Baghdad bombings76Unknown18 February 2007Baghdad 18 February 2007 Baghdad bombings63Unknown6 March 2007Hillah 2007 Al Hillah bombings200Unknown27 March 2007Tal Afar 2007 Tal Afar bombings and massacre152Unknown29 March 2007Baghdad 29 March 2007 Baghdad bombings82Unknown12 April 2007Baghdad 2007 Iraqi Parliament bombing1 Islamic State of Iraq14 April 2007Karbala 2007 Karbala mosque bombings42Unknown18 April 2007Baghdad 18 April 2007 Baghdad bombings198Unknown28 April 2007Karbala 2007 Karbala mosque bombings68Unknown13 May 2007Makhmour 2007 Makhmour bombing50Unknown13 June 2007Samarra 2007 al-Askari mosque bombing0Unknown7 July 2007Amirli 2007 Amirli bombing156Unknown16 July 2007Kirkuk 2007 Kirkuk bombings86Unknown26 July 2007Baghdad 26 July 2007 Baghdad market bombing92Unknown1 August 2007Baghdad 1 August 2007 Baghdad bombings74Unknown14 August 2007Til Ezer and Siba Sheikh Khidir Qahtaniyah bombings796Unknown13 December 2007Amarah 2007 Al Amarah bombings46Unknown1 February 2008Baghdad 1 February 2008 Baghdad bombings98Unknown10 February 2008Balad 2008 Balad bombing25Unknown6 March 2008Baghdad 6 March 2008 Baghdad bombing68Unknown17 March 2008Karbala 2008 Karbala bombing42Unknown17 June 2008Baghdad 17 June 2008 Baghdad bombing51Unknown15 July 2008Baqubah 2008 Baquba bombings35 Islamic State of Iraq12 September 2008Dujail 2008 Dujail bombing31 Islamic State of Iraq11 December 2008Dujail Abdullah restaurant bombing55Unknown8 March 2009Baghdad 2009 Baghdad police recruitment centre bombing28Unknown6 April 2009Baghdad 2009 Baghdad bombings34Unknown23 April 2009Baghdad and Miqdadiyah 23 April 2009 Iraqi suicide attacks76Unknown20 June 2009Taza Khurmatu2009 Taza bombing73Unknown24 June 2009Baghdad June 2009 Baghdad bombing69Unknown30 June 2009Kirkuk 2009 Kirkuk bombing40Unknown9 July 2009Tal Afar 2009 Tal Afar bombing40Unknown19 August 2009Baghdad August 2009 Baghdad bombings101 Islamic State of Iraq25 October 2009Baghdad October 2009 Baghdad bombings155 Islamic State of Iraq8 December 2009Baghdad December 2009 Baghdad bombings127 Islamic State of Iraq25 January 2010Baghdad 25 January 2010 Baghdad bombings41Unknown1 February 2010Baghdad 1 February 2010 Baghdad bombing54Unknown3 March 2010Baghdad 2010 Baqubah bombings33Unknown23 April 2010Baghdad April 2010 Baghdad bombings85Unknown10 May 201010 May 2010 Iraq attacks114Unknown8 July 2010BaghdadJuly 2010 Baghdad attacks70Unknown17 August 2010Baghdad17 August 2010 Baghdad bombings69 Islamic State of Iraq25 August 201025 August 2010 Iraq bombings53 Islamic State of Iraq19 September 2010Baghdad19 September 2010 Baghdad bombings31 Islamic State of Iraq31 October 2010Baghdad31 October 2010 Baghdad bombings69 Islamic State of Iraq2 November 2010Baghdad19 September 2010 Baghdad bombings113 Islamic State of Iraq18 January 2011TikritJanuary 2011 Iraq suicide attacks63 Islamic State of Iraq19 January 2011BaqubahJanuary 2011 Iraq suicide attacks12Unknown20 January 2011KarbalaJanuary 2011 Iraq suicide attacks56Unknown24 January 2011Baghdad and Karbala24 January 2011 Iraq bombings56Unknown27 January 2011Baghdad27 January 2011 Baghdad bombing48Unknown12 February 2011Samarra2011 Samarra bombing48Unknown29 March 2011Tikrit2011 Tikrit assault65 Islamic State of Iraq5 May 2011Hillah2011 Al Hillah bombing24 Islamic State of Iraq21 June 2011Diwaniyah2011 Al Diwaniyah bombing27 Islamic State of Iraq5 July 2011Taji2011 Taji bombings35Unknown15 August 201115 August 2011 Iraq attacks64Unknown28 August 2011Baghdad28 August 2011 Baghdad bombing32 Islamic State of Iraq25 September 2011Karbala2011 Karbala bombing25Unknown7 October 2011BaghdadOctober 2011 Baghdad bombings7Unknown10 October 2011BaghdadOctober 2011 Baghdad bombings10Unknown12 October 2011BaghdadOctober 2011 Baghdad bombings29Unknown13 October 2011BaghdadOctober 2011 Baghdad bombings18Unknown24 November 2011Basra2011 Basra bombings18Unknown

See also Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2021 Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2020 Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2017 Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2016 Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2015 Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2014 Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2013 Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2012

References