Thirteen Shiite pilgrims on their way to a shrine city in central Iraq have been killed and 38 hurt when a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a refreshment stall in Baghdad, security forces said.
A total of 196 Iraqis were killed in violence last month, a slight rise on the toll for January 2009, although the number of wounded was much higher.
The figures compiled by the health, interior and defence ministries showed that 135 civilians, 41 police and 20 soldiers died. The total was five more than the 191 Iraqis killed in January of last year.
However, the 782 people wounded last month -- comprising 620 civilians, 120 police officers and 42 soldiers -- was almost double the 406 hurt in the same period last year.
In addition, Iraqi authorities said 54 insurgents were killed in January and a further 681 arrested.
The US military lost five soldiers in Iraq last month, three of whom died from non-combat related injuries, according to the independent website www.icasualties.org.
In total, 4,375 American troops have died in Iraq since the US-led invasion that ousted dictator Saddam Hussein from power in 2003.
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