Violence Down in Baghdad after Elections - Anbar Remains Calm - Mosul and Diyala Remain Violent as Before

"The level of violence in Baghdad has dropped dramatically with the holding of provincial elections on January 31st, with only three deaths due to security incidents in the week since the elections, and three deaths in the week before them. This represents a dramatic decrease from early January and late December when there were deadly bombings in the city almost every day. The drop in attacks began with the heavy deployment of security forces in preparation for the special voting on Wednesday, January 28 and then the main election on Saturday, and has continued now for another week. This seems to indicate that the previous wave of violence was in one way or another related to the approaching elections, and that it has receded now that the elections are over."
Iraq Tomorrow