BAGHDAD, (PNA/Xinhua) — The death toll from violence in Iraq in September was 979, according to a statement released by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Tuesday.
The statement said that 887 civilians (including 127 civilian police personnel) and 92 members of the Iraqi Security Forces were killed in terrorist and violent acts in the month, while 2,133 people were wounded, including 1,957 civilians and 176 security members.
The capital Baghdad was the worst-affected province with 418 people killed and 1,011 others injured, followed respectively by Nineveh, Diyala, Salahudin and Anbar, while other provinces of Kirkuk, Arbil, Babil, Wasit, Dhi-Qar and Basra reported less casualties, it said.
As the bloodshed continues in the country, the UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov called upon all country’s leaders to make every effort to promote national dialogue and reconciliation, it added.
“Political, religious and civil leaders as well as the security services must work together to end the bloodshed and ensure that all Iraqi citizens feel equally protected,” the statement quoted Mladenov as saying.
Tensions and violence have been escalating between the Sunni and Shiite communities since late December, when the Sunni Muslims started protests against the Shiite-led government in six of Iraq’ s predominantly Sunni provinces and the Sunni districts in Baghdad.