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Iraq: with hundreds killed in April, UN expresses deep concern at ‘incessant violence’

In the Warga Dalal camp of Iraq, children improvise games. 22 October 2014.
OCHA/Iason Athanasiadis
In the Warga Dalal camp of Iraq, children improvise games. 22 October 2014.

Iraq: with hundreds killed in April, UN expresses deep concern at ‘incessant violence’

A total of 741 Iraqis were killed and another 1,374 were injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq last month, according to casualty figures recorded by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

“It pains us to see the continuing bloodletting and loss of life, particularly among civilians who are paying a high price as a result of bombings and the armed clashes”, said the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Mr. Ján Kubiš, stressing his deep concern at the incessant violence.

“Terrorists have used suicide attacks to target cafés, places of worship, pilgrims and markets in a wicked, unrelenting campaign to cause maximum casualties and inflict untold suffering on the population”, he added.

Looking at civilian casualties, UNAMI indicated that 410 were killed and 973 were injured, while a total of 331 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (including Peshmerga, SWAT and militias fighting alongside the Iraqi Army but excluding Anbar Operations) were killed and 401 were injured.

The overall casualty figures are down from the previous month of March, where a total of 1,119 were killed and 1,561 were injured. In April, Baghdad was the worst affected Governorate with 874 civilian casualties.