At a news conference in the Iraqi capital, the commander of the Baghdad Operations Staff Maj. Gen. Abboud Qanbar, said assassinations and car bombings had fallen 77 percent, while acts of violence against civilians had dropped by 59 percent, the Kuwaiti news agency KUNA reported.

Canbar said attacks on Iraqi security forces in the city were down 62 percent.

He said in a security operation from Sept. 17-Oct. 12, 48 insurgents had been killed and 58 families were subsequently able to return to their homes.

U.S. operations commander in Iraq, U.S. Army Gen. Raymond Odierno also spoke, saying part of the decline in violence was due to reconciliation between various Shiite and Sunni groups, the report said.

Odierno also said Iraqi security forces would be able to manage 50 percent of security operations in Baghdad by the end of the year.