'Thank the statists': Iraq death toll doubles to 15,538 in 2014, the worst in seven years

Violence in Iraq caused the deaths of more than 15,000 civilians and security personnel in 2014, government figures show, making it one of the deadliest years since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Last year's toll of 15,538 was more than double the 6,522 people killed in 2013.

It was the worst in seven years, the Iraqi government said, almost reaching the toll of 17,956 during the height of Sunni-Shiite sectarian killings in 2007.

The UN put the number of civilians killed in Iraq during 2014 at 12,282.

"Yet again, the Iraqi ordinary citizen continues to suffer from violence and terrorism. 2014 has seen the highest number of causalities since the violence in 2006-2007," UN Iraq envoy Nickolay Mladenov said in a statement.

"This is a very sad state of affairs."

Iraq Body Count, a Britain-based NGO that tracks violence in Iraq, gave an even higher toll for 2014, saying 17,073 civilians were killed, which would make it the third deadliest year since 2003.

"For Iraqis, it has been the most difficult and painful of years because of the attack of the [Islamic State group] terrorist gangs," prime minister Haider al-Abadi said in a New Year's speech, referring to jihadists responsible for much of the bloodshed in the north and west of the country.

In nearby Syria the death toll from the conflict was even higher.

A monitoring group said 17,790 civilians died in 2014, including 3,501 children.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had documented the deaths of 76,021 people in total.

That figure included 22,627 government forces and members of pro-government militias, more than 15,000 rebel fighters and nearly 17,000 militants from jihadist groups, including Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front, Al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate.

This made it the deadliest year in the nearly four-year war, the British-based observatory said.

There were 73,447 deaths in 2013, 49,294 in 2012 and 7,841 in 2011, the observatory said.

More than 200,000 people have been killed since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-regime protests that spiralled into a war after a government crackdown.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-02/iraq-death-toll-the-worst-in-seven-years-says-government/5996754
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Anarcho-Capitalist, AnCaps Forum, Ancapolis, OZschwitz Contraband
“The state calls its own violence law, but that of the individual, crime.”-- Max Stirner
"Remember: Evil exists because good men don't kill the government officials committing it." -- Kurt Hofmann

'Thank the statists': Iraq death toll doubles to 15,538 in 2014, the worst in seven years

'Thank the statists': Iraq death toll doubles to 15,538 in 2014, the worst in seven years

Anarcho-Capitalist Categorical Imperatives

Via AnCaps: Law & Enforced Unnatural Order