Ten years after US President George Bush stood in front of a “Mission Accomplished” banner claiming the US prevailed, a rising death toll is prompting fears that Iraq is plunging back into a cycle of violence not seen since the bloody days of 2006-2007.

At least 15 people were killed in a series of bomb blasts across Iraq on the anniversary of Bush’s announcement. It follows a sharp increase in violence that has prompted warnings of a full-blown sectarian conflict.

For months, Sunnis have been protesting against Shia Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.  They say he has marginalized Sunnis and monopolized power since the US toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.  Maliki has ordered violent crackdowns in Sunni areas, and the mood is suddenly uglier.

The April death toll is 460 including troops and police according to news agencies, 547 civilians according to the Iraq Body Count monitoring group. The majority of the April deaths came during a wave of unrest that began near the end of the month when al-Maliki’s security forces moved on Sunni anti-government protesters in northern Iraq.