Baghdad, Iraq, 01 October 2016 – A total of 1,003 Iraqis were killed and another 1,159 were injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq, including Anbar, in September 2016*, according to casualty figures recorded by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
The number of civilians killed in September was 609 (including 19 federal police, Sahwa civil defence, Personal Security Details, facilities protection police, fire department), and the number of civilians injured was 951 (including 29 federal police, Sahwa civil defence, Personal Security Details, facilities protection police, fire department).
A total of 394 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (including Peshmerga, SWAT and militias fighting alongside the Iraqi Army but excluding Anbar Operations) were killed and 208 were injured (not including casualties from Anbar).
Baghdad was the worst affected Governorate with 1,127 civilian casualties (289 killed, 838 injured). Ninewa 42 killed and 55 injured, Salahadin 23 killed and 10 injured. Kirkuk 23 killed and 09 injured, while Babil 02 Killed and 04 injured.
According to information obtained by UNAMI from the Health Directorate in Anbar, the Governorate suffered a total of 254 Civilian casualties (219 killed and 35 injured). Figures are updated until 28 September, inclusive.
“It is a very sad state of affairs that the numbers of Iraqis killed and injured remains very high and unacceptable. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence,” Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq (SRSG), Mr. Ján Kubiš said.
“The Holy month of Muharram has started and I sincerely hope that the killings will stop during this month,” SRSG Kubiš added.
*CAVEATS: In general, UNAMI has been hindered in effectively verifying casualties in conflict areas. Figures for casualties from Anbar Governorate are provided by the Health Directorate and are noted below. Casualty figures obtained from the Anbar Health Directorate might not fully reflect the real number of casualties in those areas due to the volatility of the situation on the ground and the disruption of services. In some cases, UNAMI could only partially verify certain incidents. UNAMI has also received, without being able to verify, reports of large numbers of casualties along with unknown numbers of persons who have died from secondary effects of violence after having fled their homes due to exposure to the elements, lack of water, food, medicines and health care. For these reasons, the figures reported have to be considered as the absolute minimum.