Iraqis inspect the site of a car bomb explosion in the impoverished district of Sadr City in Baghdad on July 29, 2013. Iraq violence kills 989 in July, the highest monthly since 2008, said the government on July 31, 2013. (AFP/File)
BAGHDAD (AFP) – Violence in Iraq killed 989 people in July, government figures released on Wednesday showed, making it the deadliest month since April 2008.
The dead comprised 778 civilians, 88 police, 55 soldiers and 68 insurgents, according to the figures compiled by the health, interior and defence ministries.
Violence also wounded 1,567 people in July -- 1,356 civilians, 122 police and 89 soldiers.
The figures make July the deadliest month since 2008, when Iraq was emerging from a bloody sectarian conflict.
In April of that year, 1,428 people were killed, according to official figures -- 966 civilians, 69 police, 38 soldiers and 355 insurgents.
Iraq has faced years of attacks by militants, but analysts say widespread discontent among the Sunni Arab minority, which the government has failed to address, has fuelled this year's spike in unrest.
Sunnis accuse the Shiite-led government of marginalising and targeting their community, including unwarranted arrests and terrorism charges.
Protests that erupted in Sunni areas at the end of 2012 are still ongoing.
In addition to major security problems, the government is also failing to provide adequate basic services such as electricity and clean water, and corruption is widespread.
Political squabbling has paralysed the government, which has passed almost no major legislation in years.
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