UNAMI: Number of civilian deaths in Iraq increased in March

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The number of civilians killed in Iraq increased in March compared to the previous month, with a total of 104 Iraqi civilians killed and another 177 injured, according to casualty figures reported by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

Baghdad was the worst affected Governorate in Iraq with 124 civilian casualties (33 people were killed, and 91 others wounded).

A string of fake checkpoint attacks claimed by the Islamic State (IS) last month killed over 50 security forces and civilians, mainly on the road between Baghdad and Kirkuk.

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 its old tactics when it first emerged in mid-2014.

Salahuddin Province was the second most affected area with 12 killed and 26 people injured, followed by Anbar which recorded 33 casualties (11 deaths and 22 injuries).

The number of people killed in March slightly increased compared to the 94 deaths reported by UNAMI in February.

Meanwhile, the UN organization announced that at least 4,800 people who lost their limbs in the war against IS in Mosul require “urgent treatment.”

According to UNAMI, funding is required “to support rehabilitation services for people who suffered disabilities as a result of the conflict in Mosul.”

“This necessary funding will help to establish a prosthetics and rehabilitation center in Hamdaniya district [in] southeast Mosul,” the organization said in a Monday statement.

It added that the project would take approximately 10 months to complete and would provide special medical care for over 450 people, including 350 children.

The only active center in the country is the Rehabilitation and Social Reintegration Centre located in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani Province.