Violence in Iraq killed 1,375 people in January, month eight of the battle against jihadists who swept through large areas of the country last summer, the United Nations said yesterday.

UNAMI said at least 1,101 people were killed in December, capping the most violent year for Iraq since 2007, when sectarian bloodshed between the Shia majority and Sunni Arab minority was at its peak.

The UN mission cautioned that the real toll could be higher as the conflict between Iraqi forces and the Islamic State group had hampered efforts to verify casualty information.