Seven women and five men were killed at a brothel in the Zayouna area of east Baghdad on Tuesday, the attack coinciding with a rise in violence not seen since the country emerged from brutal sectarian strife in 2008.

One of the gunmen wrote “Wanted” on the wall of the house, indicating it was specifically targeted.  The massacre happened in the same religiously mixed neighborhood as a similar brothel attack last year.  Sunni – Shi’a sectarian strife has kicked into overdrive in recent months.  The January death toll after just a few days has already surpassed the month’s total from the previous year.  Around Baghdad, bombings have killed at least 20 people.

West of the capital, Iraqi troops are delaying their assault of the city of Fallujah to give civilians more time to get out.  Fallujah and Ramadi are currently under the control of al Qaeda militants with the group “Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant” (ISIS).  Fighting and missile strikes in nearby Ramadi have killed more than 25 people, but the Islamist militants haven’t budged.

“Security forces and armed tribesmen tried last night to enter areas controlled by ISIS fighters in the south of the city,” an Iraqi police captain told western journalists, but after seven hours of fighting, “security forces were not able to enter these areas and ISIS fighters are still in control.”