Violent civilian deaths in Iraq climbed to their highest level since mid-2007, Iraqi government figures showed today.
There has been a rise in violence between Iraq security forces and Mahdi Army militia fighters.
A total of 923 civilians died violently in March, up 31 per cent from February and the deadliest month since August 2007, according to Iraqi figures.
Hundreds died and many hundreds more were wounded in last week's fighting, sparked by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's crackdown on fighters loyal to Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
The southern Iraqi city of Basra, the focal point of last week's fighting, was relatively calm for a second straight day today after Sadr called his fighters off the streets.
Despite the sharp rise in casualties, the March 2008 figure was still significantly lower than the 1,861 civilians who died violently in the same month a year ago. A total of 1,358 civilians were wounded, compared with 2,700 a year ago.
Violence has fallen since last summer when the US military added 30,000 troops and Sadr declared a ceasefire. But analysts warn that fighting could easily spike up again as groups vie for political control ahead of provincial elections, expected by October.