Iraqi deaths rise to 1,082 in March following bloody clashes

THE number of Iraqis killed in March climbed to 1,082, the highest monthly figure since August 2007, amid a spike in violence driven by clashes between Shi’ite militiamen and security forces, officials have said.

Combined figures from the interior, defence and health ministries showed that the total number of Iraqis killed in March was 1,082, including 925 civilians, up 50% on the February figure of 721.

The jump in the March toll was due to a week of heavy fighting between Iraq’s security forces and Shi’ite militiamen in Baghdad and the southern oil hub of Basra, and the result of sustained bomb attacks by insurgents.