The number of civilians, police officers and soldiers killed in violence in Iraq has climbed sharply in January, according to government statistics.
According to statistics released on Tuesday, many of the deaths occurred in a two-week period around a Muslim religious rite as suspected insurgents challenged the new Shia-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, attacking police and targeting pilgrims streaming into the holy Shia city of Karbala. Post Chronicle
HIGHLIGHTS
That figure was the highest since September 2010, when 273 people died. January's death toll broke a string of five consecutive months when the overall number of people killed fell. AFP
The health ministry said 159 civilians were killed in bombings and other attacks last month compared with 89 in December, 105 in November and 120 in October. It was the highest civilian toll since September.
Fifty-five police officers and 45 soldiers were killed, compared to 41 and 21 respectively in December, according to the interior and defense ministry figures.
On January 18, a bomber killed around 50 police recruits while they queued for jobs in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. Two days, later car bombs killed at least 45 Shia near Karbala.
On January 27, a car bomb explosion at a funeral wake in a Shia neighborhood in Baghdad killed more than 45 people and wounded scores of others. Post Chronicle
Violence in January also left 263 people wounded -- 178 civilians, 95 policemen and 90 soldiers, according to the figures. A total of 65 insurgents were killed and 295 arrested. AFP
HIGHLIGHTS
FACTS & FIGURES
Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 more than 1,300,000 Iraqi civilians are estimated to have been killed.
Since the start of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, 4,436 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq.
The total cost of the Iraq war has been estimated to be over $3 trillion.
An estimated 4.7 million Iraqis have been displaced as a result of the war.
Approximately 40% of Iraq's middle class are believed to have fled the country, according to the United Nations.
Iraq's health status has deteriorated to a level not seen since the 1950s, according to the former director of the UN Population Division.
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