May 2013 Iraq attacks
An upsurge in violence in Iraq leaves more than 389 people dead over three days.
In context
- When
- Wednesday, May 15 201313 years ago
- Category
- Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Era
- 21st century · 2010s
- Recorded from
- Wikipedia “On this day” feed
At a glance
Dates: From 2013.
What came before
Background From a peak of 3,000 deaths per month in 2006–07, violence in Iraq decreased steadily for several years before beginning to rise again in 2012. [ 1 ] In December 2012, Sunnis began to protest perceived mistreatment by the Shia -led government. The protests had been largely peaceful, but insurgents, emboldened by the war in neighboring Syria , stepped up attacks in the initial months of 2013. [ 2 ]
What happened
From 15 to 21 May 2013, a series of deadly bombings and shootings struck the central and northern parts of Iraq, with a few incidents occurring in towns in the south and far west as well. The attacks killed at least 449 people and left 732 others injured in one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence in years.
May 15 through the years
Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.
- 1990Vincent van Gogh
- 1991Édith Cresson
- 1997Laotian Civil War
- 1997Space Shuttle Atlantis
- 2001CSX 8888 incident
- 2001CSX Transportation
- 2004Arsenal F.C.
- 2008Same-sex marriage in California
- 2010Jessica Watson
- 2013May 2013 Iraq attacks
- 2024Prime Minister of Slovakia
Also in 2013
- May 112013 Reyhanlı car bombingsTwo car bombs by unknown perpetrators exploded in Reyhanlı, Turkey, resulting in 52 killed and 140 injured.
- September 12NASANASA confirms that its Voyager 1 probe has become the first manmade object to enter interstellar space.
- September 13TalibanTaliban insurgents attack the United States consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, with two members of the Afghan National Police reported dead…
- September 15Ivan KuleshThe Belarusian serial killer Ivan Kulesh murdered two saleswomen in Lida.
- September 16Washington Navy Yard shootingA lone gunman fatally shot twelve people and injured three others at the headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C.
- September 17Grand Theft Auto VGrand Theft Auto V earns more than half a billion dollars on its first day of release.
- September 18Via RailA VIA Rail train crashes into a double-decker bus at a train station in Ottawa, Canada, killing six people and injuring 35 others.
- November 17Tornado outbreak of November 17, 2013An outbreak of 77 confirmed tornadoes occurred in seven U.S. states; it became the largest November tornado outbreak in Illinois and Indi…
Sources
- Wikipedia article (text, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 for adapted text · how we source this
Cite this page
“May 2013 Iraq attacks”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/may-2013-iraq-attacks-2013-may-15, accessed October 27, 2026.
Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.
Questions about this entry
When did May 2013 Iraq attacks happen?
May 15 2013 — 13 years ago, on a Wednesday.
Where does this text come from?
Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.
How do I cite this page?
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