Report: Civilian deaths down in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The number of civilians reported killed in Iraq has continued to decline substantially since June, it was reported Saturday.

The Iraqi government reported 530 civilians killed in war-related violence in November -- fewer than half the number reported killed in June, the Los Angeles Times said.

The Iraqi government reported 884 civilians killed in September and 758 in October.

The number of U.S. soldiers killed also had been declining, though 38 were killed in November, the same number as in October, the Times reported, quoting the Web site icasualties.org.

A roadside bomb killed a U.S. soldier in Diyala province Friday, bringing to at least 3,882 the number of U.S. forces killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion began in March 2003, the Times reported.

The decline in deaths of U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians is credited to the additional 28,500 troops sent to Iraq this year to quell insurgent violence, military officials told the Times.