Gunmen ambushed Bashar Hamed al-Ukaidy, an MP for the Iraqiya list, in front of his house in al-Amil district, south-west of Mosul, and shot him dead on Monday (24 May), said Mosul Police.

He is the latest in a growing list of prominent personalities, including government officials, clerics, tribal leaders, doctors, journalists and lawyers to be targeted.

In the absence of a governing authority since Iraq’s 7 March elections, people from across the social and political spectrum have faced increased risk of shooting and bomb attacks.

On 9 May, an armed person, described by the security authorities as a fundamentalist, attempted to plant an explosive device under a car parked in front of the house of Riyadh al-Adhadhad, the Vice-Chairman of the Baghdad Provincial Council. Aladhadhad is considered the second-highest ranking local official in Baghdad. The assassination attempt failed when the device exploded as the assassin tried to plant it.

Residents of al-Maghreb street in the al-Adhamiya neighborhood, where the assassination attempt took place, told Niqash that al-Adhadh, a senior leader of Iraqi Islamic Party, a Sunni party, no longer lives in the house, having moved in to another within Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone.

Security forces at military checkpoints across Baghdad have been targeted, with tens of soldiers dying at the hands of attackers using silenced weapons.

Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, the official spokesman for the Baghdad Operations Command, responsible for maintaining security in the capital city and its surroundings, said that the attacks were “well coordinated," adding: "Such attacks are committed by terrorists and our security forces are handling the situation."

Baghdad Operations Command warned officials and their security forces of the increased risk of attacks. Government officials and parliament members were instructed to be cautious when moving around Baghdad to avoid attempts on their lives.

They also warned that insurgents were using new materials and methods to target their victims. The explosives they are using now are more destructive and more difficult for the security forces to detect. Assassins are using different techniques to get close to their victims, including introducing themselves as security personnel or clients.

A lawyer and his wife, who worked as his secretary, were murdered in the Saydiya area and a doctor was killed in his clinic on al-Maghreb street by people claiming to be clients and patients.

The perpetrators of these crimes, like the killer of Bashar Hamed al-Kuaid, have not been caught. The authorities blame Baathists and fundamentalists with no evidence to back their claims and without arresting any suspects.

"Those who oppose the political process in Iraq, are behind the attacks," said Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta.

"They operate from neighboring countries and their aim is to scare people and blackmail them. They are members of al-Qaeda and there are other outlawed groups.

"The only way left for these group to prove that they still exist is terrorism. It is through violence that they want to make their voices heard."

Outside of officialdom, however, other forces are blamed in relation to the attacks. Mahmoud al-Ani, the president of the Scientists Council, president of the Iraqi Scientists Council, blamed Maliki’s government for the death of his colleague, Abdul-Jaleel al-Fahdawi, the Council’s Deputy Chairman. Al-Fahdawi was killed with his son and a bodyguard in April, near his home in al-Amiriyah, West of Baghdad. The men who killed him used silenced firearms.

"Shortly before his assassination he was barred from leaving the country and was not allowed to travel to one of the northern provinces," claimed al-Ani. He could not understand how al-Fahdawi, a moderate Sunni who was also Vice-Chairman of the Sunni Endowment could have been killed near his home, without the collusion of security forces.

"The area where he lived is demilitarized and nobody is allowed to carry weapons inside this area,” he said. “There are a number of military checkpoints in the area. How were the assassins able to enter the area and commit their crime?"

al-Ani’s accusations prompted Maliki to order an immediate investigation into the death, with a special committee formed within the Prime Minister’s office.

Regardless of where the blame lies, attacks, including assassination attempts, rose by 50 percent in April compared to March, according to official statistics. The repeated assassination attempts have led to the tightening of security procedures for government officials.

"Most of the party members who hold government positions and seats in parliament adhere strictly to the plans and guidelines we set for them to protect themselves from being attacked," said one security official, who wished to remain nameless.

"We ask them to disguise by wearing traditional Arab costumes. They are also instructed to use old cars when they move inside the city to ensure that nobody would be able to identify them. We also instruct them not to visit areas which have witnessed high tension in recent years, to protect them from possible attack."

Some officials have been forced to leave their homes in Baghdad for more stable areas. A municipal council member from the al-Maghreb neighbourhood left with his wife, after the local mayor’s brother was killed in an attempt on his life.

Many see the current political vacuum as a major reason for the increase in attacks. It is feared that the heightened risk of assassination will remain while politicians continue to squabble over who will be the next Prime Minister.

August is round the corner and US Forces are due to leave the country then. With so many unresolved problems, it is feared that the country could slip into a severe security crisis if nothing is done.