BAGHDAD, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Officials in Baghdad said Thursday the number of violent deaths in Iraq's capital was almost triple the number initially reported by U.S. and Iraqi officials.
Baghdad's morgue reported the number of violent deaths last month was 1,536 -- nearly triple the 550 initially reported -- the Washington Post said.
The revised numbers appeared to negate what U.S. and Iraqi leaders had characterized as evidence that a major security operation in the city was making progress, the newspaper said.
The Baghdad morgue generally processes unidentified victims, who are mostly shot execution-style and left with their hands tied and their bodies showing signs of torture, the Post said.
The death count at the morgue in August was down from the July count of more than 1,800. The number was confirmed by Gianni Magazzeni, head of the U.N. human rights office in Iraq.
