Monthly death toll for Iraqi civilians down 20%

The number of Iraqi civilians killed in April dropped by some 20 percent to 1,501, while the number of detainees decreased by about half, according to figures compiled Tuesday from government ministries. The death toll for Iraqi soldiers, however, rose sharply in the second full month of a US-Iraqi crackdown in Baghdad, to 63, compared with 44 in March. The number of wounded soldiers more than doubled to 108.