460 people killed in bloody month for Iraq

Violence in Iraq rose sharply in April, killing 460 people, as May started off with attacks that left 13 people dead today, including six police and four anti-Qaeda fighters.
The majority of the April deaths came during a wave of unrest that began near the end of the month when security forces moved on Sunni anti-government protesters in north Iraq, sparking clashes that killed 53 people.
Dozens more people died in subsequent violence that included revenge attacks on security forces, raising fears of a return to the all-out sectarian conflict that cost tens of thousands of lives in Iraq from 2006 to 2008.

It was the deadliest violence so far linked to protests that broke out in Sunni areas of Shiite-majority Iraq more than four months ago.
The protesters have called for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite, to quit, and railed against authorities for allegedly targeting their community with wrongful detentions and accusations of involvement in terrorism.
Unrest in April also wounded 1,219 people, according to AFP figures, which are based on reports from security and medical sources.

Among the dead in April were 54 police, 53 soldiers, 14 Sahwa anti-Qaeda militiamen, and two members of the Kurdish security forces.
The wounded included 171 police, 76 soldiers, eight Sahwa fighters and five Kurdish security forces members.

The majority of the rest of those killed and wounded in April were civilians, although the figures also include some gunmen who died or were injured in clashes with security forces.
In March, 271 people were killed and 906 wounded in violence, though those figures only included security forces and civilians.
The month of May began with more deadly attacks.
A suicide bomber targeted Sahwa militiamen who were gathering to receive their pay in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, killing four Sahwa fighters and a high-ranking police officer, police and a doctor said.
The Sahwa, which means "Awakening" in Arabic, are made up of Sunni Arab tribesmen who joined forces with the US military against Al-Qaeda from late 2006, helping turn the tide against the insurgency.

They are regarded as traitors by Sunni militants and frequently targeted in attacks.
A car bomb in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, killed three police today, while another in the capital left three people dead, and gunmen killed two police near Tikrit, north of Baghdad, security and medical officials said.