Story highlights
Violence last month killed more people than in any month since August 2010
The violence continues in September, with 88 police officers killed
Another 95 Iraqi soldiers die in September
64 "terrorists" are killed, but the government does not include them in the official tally
Violence in Iraq surged last month, with 365 deaths reported, the Interior Ministry said Monday.
That’s the deadliest single month since August 2010, when the toll reached 426, the ministry said.
The government said September’s fatalities included 182 civilians, 95 Iraqi soldiers and 88 Iraqi police.
The number of wounded was more than double that of the dead, according to the data, which were compiled from records at the ministries of health, defense and interior. Of the 683 people wounded, 453 were civilians, 120 soldiers and 110 police.
Although “terrorists” are excluded from the official death toll, 64 were killed in September and another 242 were detained, according to government figures.
Violence has dropped dramatically in Iraq since the peak of Sunni-Shiite clashes in 2006 and 2007 and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country in December, but insurgent attacks against civilians and security forces persist in the country, which is still smoldering with sectarian tension and political infighting.
Baghdad’s Shiite-dominated government has blamed the recent attacks on Sunni insurgents with ties to al Qaeda.