Iraq civilian and U.S. military tolls at new low in October

By Andrew Marshall

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Civilian deaths from violence in Iraq fell again in October to their lowest level this year, government figures showed on Wednesday, bolstering the U.S. military's assertion that a troop surge is reducing bloodshed.

U.S. military fatalities also showed a significant drop in October -- so far 36 have been reported for the month, the lowest since March 2006, and well below 65 deaths in September.

Figures from Iraq's health, interior and defence ministries recorded 758 civilians killed in violence in October, along with 117 policemen and 13 Iraqi soldiers.

In September, 884 civilian deaths were recorded, and 62 policemen and 16 Iraqi soldiers were killed.

The September and October tolls represent a sharp drop from monthly figures earlier in the year. The highest civilian toll this year was 1,971 in January, and the monthly toll stayed well above 1,000 until September's dramatic decline.

U.S. generals say the figures show that the strategy of pouring 30,000 extra troops into Iraq this year to secure Baghdad and other troubled areas, and of moving U.S. troops out of large bases into smaller combat outposts where they live and fight alongside Iraqis, is having a significant impact.

They say Iraqi security forces are also increasingly adept at tackling insurgent groups and rogue militias.

The Iraqi government figures showed 1,038 civilians were wounded in violence in October -- higher than the 884 wounded in September but still significantly below 2007's monthly average.