Baghdad, Iraq, Jul 1, 2010 / 22:43 pm
A leading bishop in Iraq has that violence has decreased in the country, but advises continued vigilance. Neither terrorism nor fear have been defeated, he reported, urging the establishment of a strong and broadly supported government. “The Iraqi Church is alive,” he declared in an interview.
Figures published by Iraq’s Defense, Health and Interior Ministers show the number of Iraqis killed in violent action in June was 284, with 204 civilian deaths, 50 policemen and 30 military. This figure is less than the 437 killed in June 2009. In May 2010, 337 people were killed including as many as 275 civilians.
The number of violent injuries is also down from 718 in May to 610 in June, SIR News reports.
Citing the independent website www.icasualties.org, SIR says that 4,409 U.S. servicemen have been killed since 2003, including 10 who died last month.