The protests had been largely peaceful, but insurgents, emboldened by the war in neighboring Syria, stepped up attacks in the initial months of 2013.

[5] The attacks on 16 June occurred about a month after Iraq's deadliest week in almost 5 years, as a series of deadly bombings and shootings across the country killed at least 449 people and left 732 others injured between 15 May and 21 May.

[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Unlike most of the violence in Iraq during previous months, the majority of deadly attacks took place in southern cities, where such incidents are relatively rare.

In the city of Kut, a car bomb exploded in an industrial area early in the morning, killing 6 people and injuring 15 others.

A suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest at a coffee shop in Baghdad's Amin neighborhood, leaving 11 dead and at least 25 others injured.