Steep drop in civilian deaths reported in Iraq

That represented a 36 percent drop from the ministry's May figures -- 1,949 civilian deaths along with 127 police and 47 soldiers.

June's figures were the lowest monthly tally this year. In January, President Bush ordered nearly 30,000 soldiers, Marines, and Air Force personnel to Iraq in a major push to stabilize the capital so that Iraq's leaders can make power-sharing agreements for a lasting peace.

The Baghdad security operation was launched in mid-February, although the last of the American reinforcements arrived in Iraq only last month.

The accuracy of civilian death figures in Iraq has been in doubt since the start of the conflict and may reflect only a portion of the casualties nationwide.

Still, the figures suggest a downward trend, which may be due to US military pressure on insurgents in Baghdad and the surrounding areas.

The commander of US forces in Baghdad, Major General Joseph F. Fil Jr., told reporters on Friday that American and Iraqi security forces now control nearly half of the 474 neighborhoods in Baghdad -- up from 19 percent in April.

At least 50 Iraqis were killed or found dead yesterday in politically motivated violence, according to police reports compiled by The Associated Press. That figure was well below the daily death tolls recorded last winter.

A US military spokesman said the decrease was encouraging but that it was too early to attribute it to the crackdown. "The synchronized effort only began two weeks ago. It's too early to declare a trend," said Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Garver. But Iraqi officials hailed the decline as a sign that the security crackdown was working.

However, June ended the deadliest quarter for US troops in Iraq since the war began in March 2003 -- 330 deaths.

US officials say American losses are rising because the US military is taking the fight to the extremists, seeking to push Sunni and Shi'ite militants from strongholds in and around the capital where they have operated for years.