UN releases Iraq civilian casualty figures for April, condemns IS attack

The United Nations (UN) released the number of civilians killed across Iraq in the month of April on Wednesday as the organization's envoy to the nation condemned a terrorist attack that occurred the day before.

ERBIL, (Kurdistan 24) – The United Nations (UN) released the number of civilians killed across Iraq in the month of April on Wednesday as the organization's envoy to the nation condemned an attack by the Islamic State (IS) that occurred the day before.

A statement released by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said the agency had recorded a total of 68 Iraqi civilians killed and another 122 injured in "acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict" last month.

The figures include only "ordinary citizens and others considered civilian at the time of death or injury," and do not reflect casualties of those in security forces.

It is a drop from the previous month, which saw 104 Iraqi civilians killed and another 177 injured. Contributing to the March spike in casualties was a string of fake checkpoint attacks claimed by the Islamic State (IS) that killed over 50 security forces and civilians, mainly on the road between Baghdad and Kirkuk.

In April, Anbar was the worst affected province, with 24 civilians killed and 29 injured, followed by Baghdad with 8 killed and 30 injured, and Kirkuk with 10 killed and 21 injured.

The UN warned that the figures "have to be considered as the absolute minimum," as they had been hindered from effectively verifying casualties in certain areas "due to volatility of the situation on the ground and the disruption of services."

Also on Wednesday, UN Special Representative for Iraq Ján Kubiš strongly condemned an incident that occurred the previous night, in which gunmen opened fire on unarmed civilians, killing and wounding several in the town of Tarmiyah, 25 km north of Baghdad. IS later took responsibility for the attack in an online statement.

Since Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the group’s military defeat in Iraq late last year, IS has resorted to guerrilla-style attacks reminiscent of tactics used when the group first emerged in mid-2014.