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Death toll for Iraqis falls for third straight month

But the military says civilians are still dying in unacceptable numbers.

BAGHDAD - The number of Iraqis killed last month fell to 718, an Associated Press tally showed, the lowest monthly death toll since just before the 2006 bombing of a Shiite shrine provoked a vicious cycle of retaliatory sectarian violence.

The figures come as the U.S. military says violence has fallen to levels not seen in nearly two years, while acknowledging that Iraqis are still dying in unacceptable numbers.

An expert on the effect of conflicts on civilians agreed, saying that while the downward trend was positive, it needed to be kept in perspective.

"We've gone from horrific levels of murder to very bad, which is an improvement but not a reason to celebrate," said Richard Garfield, a professor at Columbia University in New York and a manager of health and nutrition for the World Health Organization.

It was the third consecutive monthly decline in the death toll of Iraqi civilians and security forces since August, when a huge suicide bombing that killed about 500 in northern Iraq pushed the figure to at least 1,956.

At least 1,023 Iraqis were killed in September, 911 in October and 718 in November, the lowest since January 2006, when 615 Iraqis were killed, according to figures compiled by the AP from hospital, police and military officials, as well as accounts from reporters and photographers. Insurgent deaths were not included. Other counts differ and some have given higher civilian death tolls.

The number of U.S. troop deaths also declined for the sixth consecutive month, with at least 37 recorded in November, according to an AP tally based on military figures. That was the lowest number since March 2006, when 31 American service members died.

The U.S. military has said the decline in the number of deadly attacks is largely due to a troop buildup last summer of about 30,000 additional troops, as well as a sharp turn of public opinion against al-Qaida in Iraq and other extremist groups.

But American commanders and other officials warn that militants on both sides of the Sunni-Shiite divide still pose a major threat and violence continues.

"We're always encouraged by any downward trend in violence, but we can't get complacent," said Navy Lt. Patrick Evans, a U.S. military spokesman.

Iraq Body Count, an independent organization that tracks media reports as well as official figures, estimates that 77,500 to 84,500 civilians have been killed.

The U.S. military is planning to increasingly use Iraqi data in calculating deaths, while warning that both sets of information are flawed.

Fast facts

Sunnis walk out of Parliament

Lawmakers from Parliament's largest Sunni Arab bloc walked out of Saturday's session to protest what they called the house arrest of their leader following the discovery of a car bomb near his compound on Thursday.

U.S. and Iraqi officials said the keys to the vehicle were found on one of Adnan al-Dulaimi's bodyguards. Dulaimi's son, Maki al-Maliki, and about 30 other people were arrested Friday.

Lawmakers said Dulaimi, a harsh critic of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, told them Saturday that he was prevented by security forces from leaving his house in western Baghdad to come to Parliament.

Chief government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh denied on state television that Dulaimi was under house arrest but said that any proceedings against him would be carried out according to the constitution.

Developments

Gunmen kill 20: Dozens of suspected al-Qaida militants showered Dwelah, a Shiite village about 45 miles north of Baghdad, with mortar rounds early Saturday. Gunmen then stormed the streets, killing at least 20 Iraqis, torching homes and forcing hundreds of families to flee, police said.

Turks claim attack: The Turkish military said Saturday it attacked 50 to 60 Kurdish rebels inside Iraqi territory, inflicting "significant losses." The U.S. military said it had no reports of a Turkish incursion across the Iraqi border. A pro-Kurdish news agency, however, said there had been shelling.

Times wires

[Last modified December 2, 2007, 01:38:25]