UN: 592 people killed in Iraq's violence in March

A total of 592 Iraqis were killed and 1,234 were wounded in violent attacks in Iraq in March, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). The statement said that 484 civilians, including civilian police personnel, and 108 members of the security forces were killed, while 1,104 civilians, including civilian police personnel, were wounded. An additional 130 security members were wounded in terrorist and violent acts in March. UNAMI excluded the casualties in Anbar province where fierce clashes flared up after Iraqi police dismantled an anti-government protest site outside Ramadi in late December last year. However, the statement obtained information from the Health Directorate in Anbar province saying that the total civilian casualties up to March 30 was 156 killed and 741 injured across the province. It said that 80 civilians were killed and 448 injured in Ramadi, while 76 killed and 293 injured in Fallujah, the statement elaborated. UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov urged Iraqi leaders and politicians to unite to confront the violence in the country, as the April 30 elections day approaches. "With elections day becoming nearer, I stress the need for unity and a holistic approach to violence and terrorist threat in Iraq. The political, social and religious leaders of Iraq have an urgent responsibility to set up a mechanism for dialogue and conflict resolution between various stakeholders," the statement quoted Mladenov as saying. Iraq's Sunnis have been carrying out a year-long protest, accusing the Shiite-led government of marginalizing them and its Shiite-dominated security forces of indiscriminately arresting, torturing and killing community members. Iraq is currently witnessing some of its worst violence in recent years. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, a total of 8,868 Iraqis, including 7,818 civilians and civilian police personnel, were killed in 2013, the highest annual death toll in years.