Iraqi report: About 12,000 civilians killed in 2006

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Source: CCTV.com | 01-04-2007 08:28

The Iraqi government says about 12,000 civilians were killed last year. That figure comes from a report issued by Iraqi Defense, Health, and Interior ministries. But many insist this is a tiny fraction of the real number of deaths.

Many Iraqis blame the coalition troops and the Iraqi government for their failure to prevent the deterioration of security in the country.

Saad Hijal, Iraqi resident, said, "Keeping security and protecting people is the responsibility of the occupation troops. And the government should also protect the well-being of people."

According to the report, half as many Iraqi soldiers died in 2006 as American troops. But add police casualties to this, and the number of Iraqi security forces killed jumped to 1,543, nearly double the American death count for the year.

In all, the report says there were nearly 14,000 deaths in Iraq last year. But if the report is true, the real number of deaths could be at least ten times that.

In just some of Wednesday's violence, two bombs exploded in quick succession in central Baghdad, causing no casualties. The bombs were placed under a parked car in a residential street of the district.

In a separate attack, a car bomb exploded in a main intersection in Baghdad's upscale district of Mansour, causing no damage.

In Baghdad's sprawling eastern Shi'ite slum, Sadr City, nearly two hundred people marched in a funeral procession of two people who were killed a day earlier.

The bodies were found dumped near a mosque in Baghdad's predominantly Sunni district of Adhamiya on Tuesday.

Editor:Du Xiaodan