Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq     

    BAGHDAD, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations said Tuesday that more than 34,000 Iraqis were killed and about 35,600 people wounded in 2006.

    The UN human rights report released here Tuesday said that last year at least 34,452 Iraqis were killed and 35,685 people were wounded in daily acts of violence across Iraq.

    "The situation is particularly grave in Baghdad, where most casualties and unidentified bodies that are daily recorded also bear signs of torture," Gianni Magazzeni, chief of the organization branch in Iraq, said in a news conference.

    The detailed numbers showed a slight decrease in the human casualty during the last two months of the year compared to September and October, he said.

    Magazzeni said the UN figures were compiled from information obtained from the Iraqi Health Ministry, operation centers at hospitals across the country and other agencies.

    He accused the Iraqi government of failing in curbing violence and blamed some militias, active inside the police and army, for killings and sectarian attacks.

    "Without significant progress in the rule of law sectarian, violence will continue indefinitely and eventually spiral out of control," Magazzeni warned.

    "The situation is particularly grave in Baghdad, where most casualties and unidentified bodies that are daily recorded also bear signs of torture," he added.