At least 35 people were killed and 24 more were wounded in fresh attacks, as campaign season officially began today. Also, the Iraqi government and the United Nations released their monthly accountings of violence in Iraq.
The United Nations released its casualty figures for March. Their sources counted 592 civilian and security member deaths in all provinces except Anbar. Another 1,234 people were wounded. They also offered the official civilian casualty report from the Anbar Health Department, but they resist adding these numbers to their official toll.
The Anbar Health Department reported 156 civilians were killed and another 741 were wounded. These figures do not include security members or militants. This would make the lowest possible toll 748 dead and 1,975 wounded, using the United Nations’ report.
The Iraqi government also released its own figures. In those, 1,004 civilians and security members were killed, and another 1,729 were wounded. They also reported the deaths of 160 militants.
Using various sources, Antiwar.com counted 1,063 civilian and security member deaths. This includes reports from Anbar province, which are admittedly impossible to confirm. Another 2,133 civilians or security members were wounded. At least 823 militants were reported killed and 53 more were wounded. Seven of those deaths were official executions. Again, the number of casualties in Anbar province cannot be independently confirmed due to the ongoing fighting. Compared to February, the numbers of killed and wounded are slightly higher. while the number of militants killed is almost the same.
In today’s attacks:
Anbar:
In Falluja, one person was killed and four more were wounded when a shell fell on a home during a family meal. Two civilians were wounded during a separate shelling attack. Three gunmen were killed in an air strike south of the city.
Clashes took place along the Syrian border, but the number of casualties was not reported.
Elsewhere:
A suicide bomber in Tikrit killed five soldiers and wounded 11 more.
In Mosul, gunmen killed two soldiers at a checkpoint. A soldier was killed at a separate checkpoint. Three policemen were killed and a fourth one was wounded in a blast. Troops killed two gunmen.
A bomb in Meshahda killed three people.
Seven people were killed in Baquba.
Gunmen killed three people in Khalis.
One Sahwa member was killed and another was wounded by a roadside bomb in Bani Saad.
In Sadr City, a dumped body was discovered.
Five people were wounded during gunfire in Kirkuk that was meant to celebrate the beginning of the election campaigning.
Security forces killed two militants in Latifiya.
In Baghdad, heavy clashes took place in Tarmiya but no reports of casualties were released.
