The number of Iraqi civilians killed in violent attacks rose in April to 290, the highest this year, after a rash of bombings, government figures today.
The figures from the Iraqi Health Ministry showed 105 Iranians were also killed in Iraq violence this month.
The civilian death toll was up from 180 in March and fears are growing that recent attacks, many of them targeting Shia pilgrims, could push Iraq back into the sectarian conflict unleashed by the 2003 US-led invasion.
Suicide bombs killed 150 people over two days last week, many of whom were pilgrims visiting Shia holy sites from neighbouring Iran. Yesterday, two suicide attacks killed 51 people in a Shia area of Baghdad.
Some fear violence could increase as US combat troops prepare to withdraw from urban bases and Iraq looks towards national elections at the end of the year.
The number of Iraqis killed in April is a far cry from the 968 civilians killed in April 2008.
The number of American soldiers killed in Iraq also increased in April from the previous month. As of today evening, 10 U.S soldiers had died in hostile action in Iraq in April, according to www.icasualties.org, which collates official data.
On April 10th, a suicide bomber killed five US troops and two Iraqi policemen in northern Mosul, Iraq's most violent city, which is viewed as a stronghold of Sunni Islamist al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups.
The previous month, the number of US troops who died in combat fell to four, the lowest level since the 2003 invasion.
More than 4,000 US soldiers have died in Iraq since the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein. Close to 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq in violence during that time, according to www.iraqbodycount.org.