UN envoy says gravely worried about Iraq unrest

UN envoy says gravely worried about Iraq unrest
Fri May 31, 2013 21:52:54

The UN envoy to Iraq voices grave concern over the deteriorating security situation in the country following the recent wave of deadly attacks that killed dozens of people.

“I am seriously concerned,” Martin Kobler said Thursday, adding, “This can get worse, and that’s why I strongly advocate that this bloodletting is stopped and the situation does not deteriorate.”

On Thursday, more than 30 people were killed and many others injured in a spate of terrorist attacks across Iraq, the deadliest of which hit the capital, Baghdad.

Kobler also called on Iraqi authorities to take immediate action “to pull the country out of this mayhem.”

According to figures based on reports by security and medical sources, the latest attacks in Iraq put to 607 the number of people killed in May, with over 1,000 having died in less than two months.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said on May 2 that April was the deadliest month in Iraq since 2008 as terrorist acts killed over 700 people and injured more than 1,600 across the country.

UNAMI also stated that Baghdad was the worst affected governorate, with a total of 211 killed and nearly 500 injured.

On May 28, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki vowed to hunt down all the terrorists linked to the deadly violence, saying that the motive behind the bloodshed was to return the country to the “dark days” of the past decade.

Thousands of Iraqis, including Shia and Sunni Muslims, also staged unity prayers across the nation on May 24 to show their unity in the face of attempts to drag the country into sectarian strife.

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