April Was Deadliest Month In Iraq In Five Years

The pre-election violence that plagued Iraq last month was the worst the nation has seen since June 2008:

BAGHDAD (AP) — The United Nations mission to Iraq says more people were killed in violent attacks across the country in April than in any other month since June 2008.

The U.N. figures released on Thursday underscore concerns that security is quickly deteriorating in Iraq, where violence spiked in the last part of Apri

The UN says it recorded 712 people killed last month, including 117 members of the Iraqi security forces. The capital district of Baghdad was the worst affected.

Casualty tolls in Iraq can vary considerably, with official reports at times differing from accounts from local police and hospital officials. The Associated Press recorded more than 400 killed last month.

Whether this was a one-time uptick related to the elections, or the beginning of a new phase of violence remains to be seen.

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Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. C. Clavin says:

    But the Surge worked.
    Oh wait..er..I mean…

  2. mantis says:

    Then clearly we must re-invade and stay there forever.

  3. Gold Star for Robot Boy says:

    Freedom’s on the march!

  4. Rafer Janders says:

    T. S. Eliot was right!

  5. Jenos Idanian #13 says:

    Clearly, this is Bush’s fault. There was literally nothing Obama could have done in the 4+ years to make things better.

  6. Surreal American says:

    @Jenos Idanian #13:

    Take the next flight to Baghdad, buy a gun at the nearest marketplace and show us all how it’s done.

    Until then, STFU.

  7. J-Dub says:

    @Jenos Idanian #13: What did Obama do? How many of those killed last month were Americans? Question answered…