At least 642 people have been killed in Iraq this month so far, and more than 1,451 people have been wounded, according to AFP. This makes it the most dangerous month in the last year, according to AFP statistics. The majority of people killed or wounded have been civilians. Daily attacks have been carried out across the country, many of which have involved suicide bombers who are speculated to be linked to al-Qaeda.

A wave of coordinated bombings have been the cause for the majority of the bloodshed, and most recently crowded markets and cafes have been targeted as people gather after breaking their fast during Ramadan.

"The war continues," says Brigadier General Saad Mann, an Interior Ministry spokesman who blames most of the attacks on al-Qaeda. Although recent explosions fall far short of the destruction of huge bombings in previous years. The coordination and resources required to consistently execute the complex attacks point to groups affiliated with al-Qaeda regenerating, reports Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf.

Many of the attacks have involved suicide bombers - the hallmark of al-Qaeda. Iraqi security officials also say they are seeing more evidence of foreign suicide bombers and fighters from North Africa and other Arab countries believed to be coming across the Syrian border. The Islamic State of Iraq, the al-Qaeda umbrella group, has not claimed responsibility for any attacks during Ramadan except for the recent attack on Abu Ghraib and Taji jails.

Many blame political parties for assassinations and other attacks as a way to make up power lost in the ballot box and to divert attention from the government's lack of services such as clean water and electricity.

Iraqi authorities confirmed that two bomb attacks occurred on the outskirts of Baghdad that morning, and police reported that 11 car bombs went off in Baghdad that night. According to police, the July 20 explosions were all caused by car bombs parked in commercial streets of neighborhoods with a Shia Muslim majority.

July 20 has been the deadliest day for Iraq since May 17, when at least 76 people were killed after a sequence of explosions set off in and around the capital. Although no claim of responsibility has been made for this attack, coordinated bombings against Shia Muslims are a popular tactic among al-Qaeda fighters.

Ramadan presents fighters easier opportunities to incite violence because of the traditions and habits associated with the holy month. Large concentrations of people are outside in the evenings, lounging at cafes, frequenting shops and praying at mosques, which present militant groups with easy targets for mass violence. It is common for Iraqis in large cities that suffer from electricity shortages to go outside in the evenings to escape the heat in their homes, and this trend, combined with lax security in those cities, create ideal circumstances for violent groups.

Additionally, some argue that violence spikes in Ramadan. Some al-Qaeda affiliates waging jihad believe that any violent activity will accrue more spiritual benefits during Ramadan than other months of the year.

The attackers have widened their geographic scope, creating devastation in the south of the country which has historically seen less violence than other regions. The causes of this trend range from the political shakeup earlier this year and infighting amongst Shia political parties to increased fervor on the part of al Qaeda to incite tension in the country and restarting sectarian conflict. Some al Qaeda-type attacks have been taking place at Sunni places of worship, which have not seen that sort of violence in some time.

Attacks are taking place in predominantly civilian locales such as cafes, mosques and at football games and less are taking place and predominantly governmental organisations or institutions. Targeting ministries and directorates in Baghdad has become more difficult, says General Mann.

"That is why they have started to target mosques, Husseiniyahs (Shia places of worship), and local markets." He said unlike al-Qaeda attacks several years ago which used up to a tonne of sophisticated explosives in a single bombing, the most recent bombs are generally made from easily obtainable materials such as fertilizer enhanced with steel ball bearings to inflict the maximum number of casualties.

On the July 22, at least 22 soldiers were killed in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. The fighter responsible drove a vehicle packed with explosives next to a military convoy carrying the soldiers. According to a policeman at the scene who declined to be identified, "a suicide bomber was following the convoy and when it stopped in the middle of the road, he detonated his vehicle right behind it." The attack was probably perpetrated by al-Qaeda, given the nature and targets of the bombing. This has been the second most dangerous month for soldiers this year, with July's toll second only to April's, according to AFP casualty statistics.

The government has been embarrassed at the state of affairs as attackers demonstrate increased sophistication, boldness, and superiority relative to Iraqi security forces. This embarrassment has not been readily transformed into political action, as there is little the government can do to remedy a crisis that has its origins in a more general political and religious turmoil that has gripped the country for the last half-decade. Revelations, such as the Justice Ministry's assertion that the recent raids on Abu Ghraib and Taji prisons were perpetrated with the help of guards that secretly assisted the al-Qaeda forces responsible for the attack, have further undermined the government's security apparatus.

Behind the scenes, the government has been scrambling to create measures to deal with the crisis, opting to put more intelligence officers at checkpoints as a preliminary move. However, the government seems unable to prevent the bloodletting and is conscious of its weakening image. Al Jazeera correspondents report of government censorship of scenes of the aftermath of a suicide bomb in Baghdad's middle-class neighbourhood of Karrada because of their fear that they would be perceived as impotent in the face of growing threats.

Al Jazeera correspondents have reported that there is a sense of despondency and fatalism in today's Iraq in response to the recent spate of bombings. Out of their desensitisation, pragmatism, and a great deal of religious faith, many Iraqis remain on the street despite this upsurge in violence. After bombs have gone off in neighbourhood cafes and places of worship, correspondents report that local business owners sweep away the shattered glass, call the window-maker and reopen for business mere hours after devastating attacks.

However, there has been a chilling effect on some activities in light of the new threats to public safety. Funeral processions have been canceled out of fears of reprisals attacks, parents are preventing their children from going out of the house after certain hours, and there is a greater sense of caution in those neighbourhoods touched by violence for the first time. But there is no impression that the country has ground to a halt in this recent but familiar increase in violence.

The outgoing UN envoy to Iraq, Martin Kobler, has warned the security council that "the battlefields are merging" for the Iraqi and Syrian conflicts. "These countries are interrelated," he said. "Iraq is the fault line between the Shia and Sunni world and everything which happens in Syria, of course, has repercussions on the political landscape in Iraq".

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has been active in both regions and is gaining strength and experience through the Syrian conflict, according to statements by deputy director of the Defence Intelligence Agency at the Aspen Security Forum. Al Jazeera correspondents in Iraq concur, saying that the Syrian conflict has increased sectarian tensions, especially on the border regions which the Iraqi government has closed. "What is happening in Syria is definitely affecting Iraq," said Brigadier General Saad Mann, a Interior Ministry spokesman.