Iraq is the most dangerous place in the world for civilians to live, according to new figures from the UK based monitoring group Action on Armed Violence (AOAV). Syria, Gaza, Nigeria and Pakistan round out the top five. Unenviably occupying the top spot for most civilian fatalities and injuries, Iraq has seen a renewed surge in violence since the rise of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). More than 10,000 civilians have been killed or injured by explosive devices, including car bombs, roadside bombs and other IEDs, making Iraq the most dangerous nation on the planet for the second year running. Countries or regions which have endured sustained conflict, such as Syria and Gaza, also made the list of 10 ‘most dangerous' released as part of a wider AOAV report on Monday. Afghanistan, Ukraine, Yemen, Lebanon and India also feature in the list. Seven of the top 10 are in the Middle East, with Ukraine, Nigeria and India the only counties situated elsewhere. AOAV's report documents the number of civilians killed or injured by explosive devices, the number of incidents in which civilians were harmed, the types of weapons used in attacks and whether they were caused by governments or militia groups. ‘Explosive violence' was responsible for over 80 percent of civilian deaths in Syria during 2014. It experienced 43 percent of all aerial bombing worldwide that year. The civil war, which has stretched into its fifth year, has taken the lives of more than 220,000 Syrians according to the most recent figures, with unofficial sources claiming the figure may be as high as 315,000.
