BAGHDAD - Amnesty International (AI) on Tuesday called on the Iraqi authorities to urgently step up the protection of civilians amid the recent surge of deadly violence in the country. A new Amnesty International report, Iraq: Civilians Under Fire, documents how hundreds of civilians are being killed or injured each month. Many are specifically targeted by armed groups because of their religious, ethnic or sexual identity or because they speak out against human rights abuses. Ongoing uncertainty over when a new Iraqi government will be formed has led to a recent spike in attacks, with more than 100 civilian deaths in the first week of April alone. "Iraqis are still living in a climate of fear, seven years after the US-led invasion. The Iraqi authorities could do much more to keep them safe, but over and over they are failing to help the most vulnerable in society," said Malcolm Smart, director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa programme. Amnesty International urged the authorities to do more to protect those who are particularly at risk and bring those responsible for violent crimes to justice, without recourse to the death penalty. While Iraqi security forces, foreign troops or family members are responsible for some human rights abuses, most killings of civilians are carried out by armed groups, including al-Qaeda in Iraq. The organisation remains a significant presence in the country despite the recent reported deaths of three senior leaders. Meanwhile, two Iraqi soldiers were killed yesterday in an overnight mortar attack on a security station in a Shi'ite neighbourhood in northern Baghdad, police and hospitals officials said. Another 14 people were wounded in the 1am attack on the joint Iraqi army-police office in the capital's Hurriyah area, the officials said. Three mortars hit the security station, according to two Iraqi police officials, and an army colonel was among the wounded. A hospital official confirmed the casualties. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media. No-one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks. It was the second big attack in Hurriyah in less than a week.
