Baghdad: The death toll from the escalating violence in Iraq in the month of March has climbed to 1,082,up by 50 percent over February figures, officials said Tuesday.

The toll data jointly compiled by Iraqi Interior, Defence 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 US-backed Iraqis security forces and militiamen loyal to radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Basra and other Iraqi cities, including Baghdad, killing and wounding hundreds of Iraqis.

Violence in Iraq had dropped by 60 percent since last June. The drop was attributed to the surge of an extra 30,000 US troops, the uprising of Sunnis against Al Qaeda and ceasefire announced by the radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Source : IANS