Can We Call It A Civil War Now?

One hundred and six people are killed every day in Iraq (from The Australian via Hoffmania):

The number of civilians slain across Iraq climbed to unprecedented levels in July and August, with 6599 people killed by violence in that time.

A report from the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq said the July total of 3590 deaths was unprecedented since the US-led invasion in 2003, while the August figure of 3009 was also among the worst.

Many of the average 106 killed per day were tortured to death with cables, acid and power drills, the report said.

It also raised new questions about US and Iraqi forces' ability to bring peace to Baghdad, where the bulk of the deaths occurred.

In its previous report, two months ago, the UN mission gave a combined figure of 5818 for the two months of May and June. The latest two-month figure shows an increase of more than 13 per cent over that number. * * *