UNAMI: 888 Iraqis were Killed and 1,237 Injured in November

BAGHDAD, Iraq (K24) – The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) released a statement on Tuesday, revealing the number of casualties in November 2015 that in total, 888 Iraqis have been killed and 1,237 wounded in acts of terrorism, violence, and armed conflict.

UNAMI stated that in November, 489 civilians “including 28 federal police, Sahwa civil defense, Personal Security Details,  policemen and firemen” have been killed. However, the number of wounded civilians was 869 Iraqis which is almost double.

Beside civilians, 399 members of the Iraqi Security Forces were also killed and 368 wounded (not including casualties from the Anbar Operation). Iraqi Security Forces referred to “Peshmerga, SWAT, and militia fighting, alongside the Iraqi Army.”

The Special Representative of the United Nation Secretary-General for Iraq (SRSG) Jan Kubis said, “The Iraqi people continue to suffer from this vicious circle of violence, which has affected all walks of life in this country.”

“The United Nations deplores the continuing loss of life resulting from acts of terrorism and armed conflict in Iraq,” he added.

Among all parts of Iraq, Baghdad was the most affected province with “1,110 civilian casualties (325 killed, 785 injured), Nineveh had 109 killed and 41 injured, while Kirkuk 14 killed and 23 injured, Salahadin 21 killed and 08 injured, and Diyala 16 killed and 11 injured.”

The statement also stressed that UNAMI has been hindered to some extent in verifying casualties in conflict areas. It brings Anbar as an example that the casualty figures of November month in that province were unable to be obtained because of the military operations that were taking place in Anbar against jihadists.

UNAMI also states that the figures reported are considered as “the absolute minimum.”

Following the emergence of Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq on June 2014, the number of casualties has dramatically increased in the country.