By Xinhua
Baghdad : The Iraqi death toll in March climbed to 1,082, roughly up 50 percent than February figures, amid violence escalation due to the U.S.-backed Iraqi security forces’ battle against Mahdi Army militia, officials said on Tuesday.
Figures jointly compiled by Iraqi Interior, Defense and Heath ministries showed that 923 out of the 1,082 killed were civilians, which were 721 in February.
Late in March, fierce clashes broke out between U.S.-backed Iraqis security forces and militiamen loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Basra and other Iraqi cities, including Baghdad, killing and wounding hundreds of Iraqis.
Violence in Iraq has dropped down 60 percent since last June. The drop was attributed to the surge of an extra 30,000 U.S. troops, the uprising of Sunnis against al-Qaida and ceasefire announced by the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.