The curfew, which was in place nightly, was lifted at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. The move represents the first time the curfew, aimed at stymying violence in Baghdad, has been completely lifted since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
But in the hours leading up to the curfew removal, 11 people were killed in a pair of suicide attacks in Baghdad, a police source Said. Six people were killed in a bombing at a restaurant, and five people were killed when an assailant detonated explosives at a busy market.
While Sunday marked a day or relative calm after the curfew was lifted, violence erupted once again early Monday morning.
A suicide bomber targeted a popular restaurant in northwestern Baghdad early Monday morning, killing at least 12 people and wounding 42, Baghdad police officials said.
And in northeastern Baghdad, an improvised explosive device detonated on a busy street, killing one person and wounding another four.
Both the attacks Monday took place during the overnight hours that previously would have been subject to curfew. And both took place in primarily Shiite neighborhoods.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
But more and more, civilians are falling victim to deadly violence in the country. The infiltration of ISIS in the past year contributed to a staggering civilian death toll in 2014: at least 17,049, according to Iraq Body Count.
That number is roughly double the number recorded in 2013 -- which was about double the number from of the previous year
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