691 Iraqis killed, 1,016 injured in terror, armed conflict in August: UN

A total of 691 Iraqis were killed and another 1,016 were injured in August 2016 in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq, excluding the western province of Anbar, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said here Thursday.

A total of 473 civilians were killed and 813 others were injured, Dujarric said, citing casualty figures recorded by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

The special representative of the UN secretary-general for Iraq, Jan Kubis, strongly condemned recent terrorist attacks and other acts of violence, reiterated his call on the parties to undertake every effort to safeguard the lives of civilians and urged Iraqis to show strength in unity in the face of this unrelenting violence.

Civilians continue to disproportionately bear the burden of acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq, accounting for more than two-thirds of those killed or injured in the month of August, UNAMI said.

Of those killed, more than 68 percent were civilians, including 16 individuals who were members of the federal police, civil defence, personal security details, facilities protection police and fire department, the UN mission said.

Similarly, about 80 percent of those injured were civilians, including 21 members of the previously mentioned civil security entities, said the mission.

"The bloodletting in Iraq continues without let-up," Kubis said in a news release issued by UNAMI, which he heads. "Casualty figures remain too high and civilians again are bearing the brunt."

The mission noted that 218 members of the Iraqi Security Forces were killed and another 203 were injured.

In terms of casualties by location, the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, was the worst affected governorate with 907 civilian casualties (231 killed, 676 injured).

In the northern governorate of Ninewa, 116 were killed and 83 injured; in the northern governorate of Kirkuk 81 were killed and 13 injured; in the central governorate of Karbala 17 were killed and 25 injured; in the central governorate of Salahadin 14 were killed and four injured; and, in the eastern governorate of Diyala six were killed and five injured.

"(We) reiterate our call on the parties to undertake every effort to safeguard the lives of civilians and urge Iraqis in general to show strength in unity in the face of this unrelenting violence," Kubis said. Endit