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At least 1,466 people killed in Iraqi violence in June: UN

Xinhua, July 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

A total of 1,466 Iraqis were killed and 1,687 others injured in terrorist attacks and violence in June in Iraq, the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said in a statement on Wednesday.

A total of 665 civilians, including 94 policemen, and 801 Iraqi security forces personnel were killed, while 1,032 other civilians, including 104 policemen, and 655 security members were wounded, according to the statement.

The total figures of killed and wounded civilians included the casualties in the volatile province of Anbar, which suffered of 299 civilian casualties (136 killed and 163 injured), according to the statement which obtained the information from the Health Directorate of Anbar province, most of which the Islamic State (IS) militant group has seized.

"Casualty figures obtained from the Anbar Health Directorate might not fully reflect the real number of casualties in those areas due to the increased volatility of the situation on the ground and the disruption of services," the statement said.

"In general, the UNAMI has been hindered in effectively verifying casualties in conflict areas," it said. "The figures reported have to be considered as the absolute minimum."

It added that there are an unknown number of people who died from secondary effects of violence after having fled their homes due to exposure to the elements, lack of water, food, medicine and health care.

"The cycle of violence relentlessly continues in Iraq and civilians are bearing the brunt of it," the statement said, quoting UN envoy for Iraq and UNAMI chief Jan Kubis as saying.

Kubis held the IS terrorists and sectarian extremists responsible for this violence which has affected all aspects of life in Iraq, according to the statement.

He also urged the Iraqi political leaders to "come together and find a peaceful political solution to the existential problems that are facing Iraq and its people."

The security situation in Iraq has drastically deteriorated since June 2014, when bloody clashes broke out between Iraqi security forces and hundreds of militants from the IS.

The militants took control of the country's northern city of Mosul and later seized swathes of territories after Iraqi security forces abandoned their posts in Nineveh and other predominantly Sunni provinces.

Earlier, a UN report said 2014 had witnessed some of the worst violence in years, leaving at least 12,282 civilians killed and 23,126 others injured, making it the deadliest year since the flare-up of sectarian violence in 2006-2007. Endit