700 Iraqis killed this month, says US general

Around 70 US-led coalition troops and 700 Iraqi insurgents have been killed in fighting across Iraq since April 1, but there is no authoritative figure on Iraqi civilian deaths, US Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said today.

Kimmitt’s comments were the first full casualty statistics released by the military since a bloody uprising by a radical Shiite militia started April 4 and US forces began their siege against Sunni insurgents in Fallujah a day later.