The recent fighting in Iraq has posed a serious challenge to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his government, raising questions about his ability to hold the country together amid a rising insurgency. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that the United States will help the Iraqi government in the battle against al Qaeda-linked fighters in western Iraq, but he stressed it won't send troops. Here are five questions about the deteriorating situation: 1. I thought the Iraq war was over. Why is there still fighting? Well, actually last year was the deadliest since 2008. The number of dead reached its worst levels since the height of the Iraq war, when sectarian fighting between the country's Shiite majority and its Sunni minority pushed it to the brink of civil war. Those tensions continue to be fueled by widespread discontent among the Sunnis, who say they are marginalized by the Shiite-led government and unfairly targeted by heavy-handed security tactics.
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Last year was the deadliest year in Iraq since 2008
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Security void in Iraq has allowed al Qaeda-linked groups to strengthen
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Al Qaeda-linked groups are mounting attacks on both sides of Iraq's border with Syria
@placeholder troops are now battling insurgents in both places for control.
The international community has long been concerned about spillover from the civil war in @placeholder, and the conflict is clearly helping to fuel violence and tensions in neighboring and tensions in Iraq.