Over 600 people killed in violence, armed conflict in Iraq in June, UN warns
Xinhua, July 2, 2016 Adjust font size:
A total of 662 Iraqis were killed and another 1,457 others injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in June, a UN spokesman said here Friday.
Those numbers include 382 civilian deaths and 1,145 wounded civilians, Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here, citing casualty figures from the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
The overall casualty figures dropped over the previous month of May, but the casualty figures for June are likely to increase due to the combat to liberate Fallujah in Anbar Governorate, said UNAMI.
The UN secretary-general's special representative for Iraq, Jan Kubis, said that although there had been hope for a period of calm during Ramadan, unfortunately the violence continued to take its toll on civilians.
"We had hoped for a period of calm during holy Ramadan, a month of peace and compassion, but unfortunately the violence continued to take its toll on civilians," said Kubis.
He noted that terrorists did not spare an occasion to strike at markets, mosques and areas where people gathered in order to exact maximum casualties among civilians "in total disregard of the values of Islam." Endit