Civilian deaths sharply down

2007-07-01 15:36

Baghdad - Iraqi civilian deaths dropped to 1 241 last month, according to figures issued on Sunday, the lowest since a US-led crackdown was launched in February in Baghdad and other violent regions of the country.

The latest numbers - compiled from interior, defence and health ministry figures and made available to AFP - indicate that 1 241 civilians died last month, compared to almost 2 000 in the previous month.

However, car and roadside bombings allegedly carried out by Sunni insurgents continue to rock Baghdad and neighbouring provinces, with at least three people killed on Sunday.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government no longer issues official casualty statistics and has refused to provide figures to UN human rights monitors, who can no longer confirm the reports.

Sectarian killings down

One of the key reasons for the fall in the June toll seems to be the reduction in sectarian killings in the capital since the crackdown was launched involving a surge of US troops.

Most senior Shiite militiamen in Baghdad believed to have been responsible for widespread killings of Sunni Arabs are thought to have left the capital to avoid the assault.

But June was a deadly month for the US military, which lost at least 93 soldiers to attacks across Iraq, mostly in and around Baghdad.

At least 3 570 US troops have died in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion, according to an AFP count based on Pentagon figures.

- AFP