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Iraq death toll set to be lowest since invasion
BAGHDAD - The number of civilian deaths this year from violence in Iraq is set to be the lowest since the 2003 US-led invasion, according to a preliminary report released on Thursday by a monitoring group.Iraq Body Count (IBC), an independent Britain-based group, put the number of civilian deaths in Iraq as of December 25 at 3,976, down 704 from 4,680 in 2009. But it also noted that attacks remain common across much of the country. The group will release final statistics for 2010 after the end of the year. An AFP tally based on data released by the Iraqi defence, interior and health ministries shows 2,416 civilians were killed until the end of November 2010, compared with 2,800 for all of 2009. Government figures for December are not yet available. This is a good indication, though it does not reach the required level, Ali Moussawi, an adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki, said when asked about the IBC report. We hope to eliminate all the danger that threatens civilians, especially terrorist attacks, he said. There was a big improvement in security in 2010, Iraqi defence ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed Al Askari said. Unfortunately, there were still victims of attacks. David Ranz, the spokesman for the US embassy in Baghdad, said: While violence remains a significant challenge for the new government, the statistics reflect the growing capacity of the ISF (Iraqi security forces) to provide stability and security for the citizens of Iraq. Posted by: Steve White 2011-01-01 |
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