Violence in Iraq killed more than 15,000 civilians and security personnel last year, government figures showed on Thursday, making it one of the deadliest years since the 2003 US-led invasion.
Figures compiled by the Iraqi health, interior and defense ministries put the death toll at 15,538, compared with 17,956 killed in 2007 during the height of Sunni-Shiite sectarian killings.
Last year’s toll was also more than double the 6,522 people killed in 2013.
“Yet again, the Iraqi ordinary citizen continues to suffer from violence and terrorism. 2014 has seen the highest number of causalities since the violence in 2006 to 2007. This is a very sad state of affairs,” UN envoy to Iraq Nickolay Mladenov said in a statement.
The UN put the number of civilians killed in Iraq last year at 12,282. Iraq Body Count, a Britain-based NGO that tracks violence in Iraq, gave an even higher toll, saying that 17,073 civilians were killed, which would make it the third deadliest year since 2003.
“For Iraqis, it has been the most difficult and painful of years because of the attack of the [Islamic State group] terrorist gangs,” Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a New Year’s speech, referring to jihadists responsible for much of the bloodshed.
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