At least 1,031 people killed in Iraqi violence in May: UN

BAGHDAD — A total of 1,031 Iraqis were killed and 1,684 others injured in terrorist attacks and violence in May in Iraq, the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said in a statement on Monday.

A total of 665 civilians, including 59 policemen, and 366 Iraqi security forces personnel were killed, while 1,313 other civilians, including 86 policemen, and 371 security members were wounded, according to the statement.

The UNAMI excluded the casualties in Anbar province where fierce clashes are underway between Iraqi forces and the Islamic State (IS) militant group, which has seized most of the province.

“In general, the UNAMI has been hindered in effectively verifying casualties in conflict areas,” the statement said. “The figures reported have to be considered as the absolute minimum.”

It added that there are an unknown number of people who died from secondary effects of violence after having fled their homes due to exposure to the elements, lack of water, food, medicine and health care.

The capital of Baghdad was the worst affected province, with 343 civilian killed, 701 others injured, the statement noted, followed by the provinces of Diyala, Salahudin, Nineveh and Kirkuk.

“Current developments in and around the city of Ramadi and in Anbar province once again showed grave consequences of IS actions for civilians, as around 237,786 individuals have been displaced from and within Anbar province to date, while thousands were killed and injured, sometimes in the most horrendous way,” the statement said, quoting UN envoy for Iraq and UNAMI chief, Jan Kubis.

Kubis said the military actions is not enough, urging the Iraqi government to reach out to disaffected communities, including Sunni community, to protect them and ensure their participation in the political life.

“For any military gains to be sustainable, the government of Iraq must adopt a set of confidence-building measures toward disaffected communities, enabling them to assume a share in governing their matters, and assuring them of the State’s ability to ensure their protection from violence, to deliver justice and create conditions for their fair participation in society,” Kubis said.

The security situation in Iraq has drastically deteriorated since last June, when bloody clashes broke out between Iraqi security forces and hundreds of militants from the IS.

The militants took control of the country’s northern city of Mosul and later seized swathes of territories after Iraqi security forces abandoned their posts in Nineveh and other predominantly Sunni provinces.

Earlier, a UN report said 2014 had witnessed some of the worst violence in years, leaving at least 12,282 civilians killed and 23, 126 others injured, making it the deadliest year since the flare-up of sectarian violence in 2006-2007.