Violence increases as Iraqi election gets closer

The lead-up to the first elections in Iraq following U.S. troops withdrawal is being met by rising tensions.

According to the New York Times, 15 candidates who represented the Sunni minority have been assasinated in recent weeks by Sunni militants or political opponents. There have been many others kidnapped and wounded as well.

The radical Sunni sects affiliated with Al-Qaida are going after their own to to destabilize the the ruling Shiite sect. This in turn has inflicted more fear on community members to get involved in national politics.

The latest surge of violence saw 50 people killed and more than 200 wounded in 20 different attacks on Monday.

The U.S. has expressed concern over the political situation in Iraq. This is the first surge in sectarian violence in the middle-eastern country since U.S. troops withdrew at the end of 2012.

Flickr Photo by: Foreign and Commonwealth Office