Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 1,003 Iraqis and wounded 1,159 others in September across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said on Saturday.

The figures included 609 civilians killed and 951 wounded, with 394 security members killed and 208 wounded, the UNAMI said in a statement.

The casualties in Iraq's western province of Anbar were excluded, as the casualty figures there for the month were unavailable due to the volatility of the situation on the ground and the disruption of services, the statement said.

"It is a very sad state of affairs that the numbers of Iraqis killed and injured remain very high and unacceptable. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence," the statement quoted the UN envoy to Iraq and the UNAMI chief Jan Kubis as saying.

"The Holy month of Muharram has started and I sincerely hope that the killings will stop during this month," Kubis said, referring to the first month in the Islamic lunar calendar, which will start on Sunday. The Muslims around the world honor the holy month of Muharram.

However, the Shiite Muslims used to make their own communal rituals during the month, including commemorating Ashura, or the 10th day of Muharram, which marks the death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of Prophet Muhammad, who was killed and buried in Karbala, 100 km southwest of Baghdad, in 680 AD.

Iraq has witnessed intensifying violence since the Islamic State (IS) took control of parts of its northern and western regions in June 2014.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the U.S. that invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003, under the pretext of seeking to destroy weapons of mass destruction in the country.

The war led to the ouster and eventual execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but no such weapons have been found.

Source:  XINHUA