01 Jun 2010 07:47:08 GMT
* Continued political tensions after election
* Rise in casualties among Iraqi police, army
BAGHDAD, June 1 (Reuters) - A post-election spike in civilian deaths in Iraq continued in May, reflecting tense political uncertainty following the inconclusive March 7 election that has been exploited by insurgents.
A total of 275 civilians were killed by bomb blasts or other attacks last month, government figures showed on Tuesday. In April, 274 were killed, an increase from 216 in March and 211 in February.
The figures are a far cry from the dark days of all-out sectarian war in 2006/07, but they remain high.
May also saw a rise in casualties among Iraqi police officers and soldiers compared to April.
Iraq is still without a government almost three months since the parliamentary election, won by the cross-sectarian Iraqiya alliance of secular former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi with the heavy backing of minority Sunni voters.
Iraqiya fell short of a majority, and Iraq's two main Shi'ite blocs are instead trying to forge a governing majority in the 325-seat parliament, though they appear still weeks away from a full deal.
Allawi has said his alliance must have the first opportunity to form the next government and has warned that any attempt by a Shi'ite union to exclude Sunni-backed Iraqiya from government could lead to more violence.
Sunnis dominated Iraq under Saddam Hussein and resentment at their loss of power after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion helped fuel the insurgency and sectarian fighting.
The monthly casualty statistics, issued by the interior, defence and health ministries, showed that 45 police officers, 17 soldiers and 55 insurgents were killed in May.
On May 10 alone, bombers and gunmen with suspected links to al Qaeda killed more than 100 people in a wave of attacks across Iraq.
Four days later, insurgents attacked players and spectators at a soccer match in volatile northern Iraq, killing eight. On May 21, 30 people died when a minivan packed with explosives detonated in a crowded market in northern Diyala province.
Around 100,000 civilians have died violent deaths in Iraq since the invasion, according to www.iraqbodycount.org.
Two U.S. soldiers died from hostile fire in May, according to icasualties.org. U.S. forces are increasingly taking on a support role for their Iraqi counterparts as they prepare to end combat operations in August and withdraw completely by end-2011. (Reporting by Waleed Ibrahim; Writing by Matt Robinson; Editing by Jon Boyle)