U.N.: Two-thirds of Iraqi casualties in August were civilians

BAGHDAD, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The United Nations said more than two-thirds of Iraqis killed or injured in August were civilians, an estimate elevated by recent horrific Islamic State executions.

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq on Thursday released casualty figures for August in which 691 Iraqis were killed and 1,016 were injured as a result of violence. These numbers exclude the Anbar western province where figures could not be obtained from local health departments.

Overall, 68 percent of those killed and 80 percent of those injured were civilians.

"The bloodletting in Iraq continues without let-up," Ján Kubiš, U.N. Special Representative for Iraq, said in a statement. "Casualty figures remain too high and civilians again are bearing the brunt."

The casualty report comes as the Islamic State, also known as ISIL, Daesh and ISIL, in Mosul is accused of using a chainsaw to execute nine teenagers this week.

"ISIS fighters have executed nine youths of Mosul. The outfit accused that these youths belonged to an anti-ISIS resistance faction," an anonymous source inside Mosul said Wednesday, Iraqi News reported. "The death sentence pronounced by ISIS Sharia court stated that the men should be tied to an iron pole in the center of Tal Afar Square in Mosul and then sliced into two with an electric chainsaw."

An Iraqi security source on Tuesday also said the Islamic State decapitated 13 people in a town about 175 miles north of Baghdad.

Meanwhile, the Anbar Provincial Council on Thursday announced the improvised explosive devices in the city of Fallujah's northern and western sectors left behind by the Islamic State have been removed.

"Security forces and bomb squads backed by Civil Defense Directorate managed to remove all the improvised explosive devices, booby-trapped houses and ISIS remnants from the northern and western sides of Fallujah," Anbar Provincial Council member Mohamed Yassin said, Iraqi News reported. "The displaced families will start to return to the city starting from Sept. 15. All areas in Fallujah were subjected to terrorist attacks that left large number of military remnants and improvised explosive devices."