Official data from the Iraqi interior ministry has shown that civilian casualties in Iraq have gone up 44 percent in November compared with October. Reuters puts the rise in civilian deaths at 45 percent. The center of this violence is Baghdad, despite thousands of US troops being poured into the capital.

Yesterday, Iraqi troops backed by US helicopters fought militants for several hours in the Fadhil neighborhood, a Sunni stronghold. US and Iraqi troops on the ground detained 43 men and captured a house used as a field hospital. One Iraqi soldier was killed, and five were wounded. The US military said, “The targets of these raids are believed to be regularly killing innocent Iraqis and have an active campaign designed to disrupt the peace and stability of the region.” Iraqi interior ministry data shows that 1,850 civilians were killed in November alone.

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