A new analysis shows that Iraq "remains in a state of low-level war" with over 4,000 Iraqi civilians dying in 2012 as a result of violence.
The new report from Iraq Body Count, which maintains a database of violent civilian deaths during and since the 2003 US-led invasion, documents 4,471 civilian deaths from violence last year, an increase from 4,136 in 2011.
In addition to the deaths, 2012 bombings alone accounted for 7,422 wounded civilians.
The number of civilian deaths since March 2003 now stands at between 110,937 and 121,227, the group reports.
IBC adds:
In sum the latest evidence suggests that the country remains in a state of low-level war little changed since early 2009, with a “background” level of everyday armed violence punctuated by occasional larger-scale attacks designed to kill many people at once.