Zayna Sami / Azzaman – 2009-04-25 22:45:24

http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news2009-04-16kurd.htm

BAGHDAD (April 16, 2009) — Violence claimed 7,473 lives in 2008 in Iraq, the year which the government and US occupation forces say was relatively quiet.

The figure, announced by Human Rights Minister Wajdan Salem, does not include Iraqi casualties resulting from US attacks or Iraqi government forces’ operations.

US troops do not keep records of Iraqis they kill, whether insurgents or ordinary people. Iraqi forces seem to be following suit.

Salem said the victims of “terror operations” included 580 women and 400 children. “More than 22,000 Iraqis were injured in these attacks in the same year,” she said.

She said there were more than 41,000 Iraqis in jails across the country. The Justice Ministry was keeping 17,000 of them and the rest were languishing in other ministries’ jails.

Salem said US troops, under the security agreement that went into effect at the start of 2009, have transferred most of Iraqi prisoners to government jails.

Among the prisoners there are 422 women and 782 children, she added.

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