BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- More than 34,000 civilians were "violently killed" across Iraq last year, with an average of 94 killed every day, according to a new United Nations report.
The bimonthly Human Rights Report of the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, covering November and December, tallied the casualties of nearly a year of relentless sectarian strife, which skyrocketed after the bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra on February 22.
The grim figures came on a day when shootings and bombs, including a "massive" car bomb near a university, killed dozens of Iraqis in Baghdad. (Full story)
"According to information made available to UNAMI, 6,376 civilians were violently killed in November and December 2006, with no less than 4,731 in Baghdad, most of them as a result of gunshot wounds," the report said.
"Compared to the number killed in September and October, there has been a slight reduction. It is evident however that violence has not been contained but has continued to claim a very high number of innocent victims. During 2006, a total of 34,452 civilians have been violently killed and 36,685 wounded." (Watch how civilians killed during U.S. actions are compensated )
The death toll in the U.N. report is nearly three times the number reported by the Iraqi government, according to The Associated Press.
The Iraqi Health Ministry did not comment on the report, which was based on information released by the Iraqi government and hospitals, AP reported.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
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