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Almost 1,800 people killed in Iraq last month, says UN; most were civilians

November 2, 2016 at 9:15 am

Civilians holding white flags in order not to be fired upon as the operation to retake Iraq’s Mosul from Daesh continues, on November 1 2016 [Hemn Baban/Anadolu]

The UN revealed on Monday that 1,792 people were killed in violence in Iraq last month, up from 1,003 in September. Of those who were killed, the majority – 1,120 – were civilians.

The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said that the remainder of the casualties were members of Iraq’s security forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, police and other militias fighting alongside the Iraqi army. A further 1,358 people were wounded in the same period.

According to UNAMI, the worst-hit city was Baghdad, with 268 civilians killed and 807 wounded, while the militant-held Nineveh province had 566 killed and 59 wounded. Much of Nineveh province, including its capital Mosul, is still controlled by Daesh.

Iraqi security forces launched a campaign to retake Mosul on 17 October. It was the biggest assault since Daesh took control of parts of Iraq’s northern and western regions in June 2014.