ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The United Nations mission in Iraq (UNAMI) recorded the lowest number of civilian casualties in six years.

Sixty-nine civilians were killed and 105 were injured in acts of terrorism, violence, or armed conflict across the country in October, UNAMI stated in its annual report on the statistics.

“While regretting the casualties, the fact that these figures are the lowest UNAMI has recorded since November 2012, is a positive indicator and shows that the country is gradually coming out of the cycle of violence into which it was forced by terrorists,” stated Jan Kubis, head of UNAMI.

Most of the casualties were in Nineveh province, followed by Baghdad, and Anbar.

Iraq has known near constant instability and insurgency since Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003. Large parts of the country were under control of the terror group ISIS for some three years. The jihadists were militarily defeated in 2017, but remain a serious security threat.

Iraqi and Kurdish armed forces carry out regular operations against ISIS sleeper cells and small militant groups.

Rudaw