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U.N.: 34,352 Iraqi civilians killed in '06


"BAGHDAD, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- The United Nations said Tuesday 34,452 Iraqi civilians were killed by violence in Iraq in 2006, three times as many as reported by Iraq's Interior Ministry.

Human rights envoy Gianni Magazzeni also said in his report more than 36,000 people were injured in the fighting, largely between Sunni and Shiite Muslim militants.

Magazzeni said the figures were compiled from data collected by the Health Ministry, hospitals, mortuaries and other agencies, the BBC reported.

The Iraqi government's official death toll for 2006 was 12,320. Baghdad officials have routinely criticized independent groups' various death and injury tolls as exaggerated, the report said. There was no immediate government response to the U.N. report."