Basic information* Capital: Baghdad
Population: 26.5 million (UN, 2005)
Area: 438,317 sq km (169,235 sq miles)
Major religions: Islam
Major languages: Arabic, Kurdish
Life expectancy: 57 years (men), 60 years (women) (UN)
President: Jalal Talabani
Prime minister: Jawad al-Maliki
Human Development Index: data not available |
From BBC Online: 
"Though free from the yoke of its former president Saddam Hussein, pressing problems loom large for Iraq and its new leaders. The paramount challenge is to restore security and civil order. Since US-led coalition forces deposed Saddam in 2003 insurgents have targeted civilians, Iraqi security forces and international agencies. Tensions between Shia and Sunni Muslims have spilled over into brutal sectarian violence, prompting fears of civil war. Coalition and Iraqi troops have faced armed rebellions and guerrilla-style attacks."
BBC, September 2006 Refugees**
- Refugees and asylum seekers: 296,583
- Number of internally displaced persons: 1,200,000
- Total: 1,496,583
- Number of asylum applications to the UK (June 05 - June06): 470
Current situation
Amnesty International: “The human rights situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate, and sectarian violence is on the rise. Kidnapping, murder, bombings and suicide attacks are all too common occurrences. In recent months, hundreds of people were reported killed every week; the UN recently reported that 5818 civilians were killed and at least 5762 wounded in May and June 2006 alone.
Violations by armed groups are marked by the disregard for civilian lives and the basic rules of international humanitarian law; many of the victims appear to be targeted for religious affiliations, as well as for reasons of gender, nationality and sexual orientation. The newly-formed Iraqi government has thus far failed to end the bloodshed, in spite of a security operation involving thousands of Iraqi government troops and the recent deployment of nearly 4,000 US troops in Baghdad.
Reports of torture, ill-treatment and lack of judicial process at the hands of Iraqi authorities continue. Adequate safeguards against torture and ill-treatment are not in place in Multinational Force detention facilities, and thousands continue to be held without charge or trial.”
Amnesty International, August 2006
Human Rights Watch: “Torture and other abuses against detainees in U.S. custody in Iraq were authorized and routine, even after the 2004 Abu Ghraib scandal, according to new accounts from soldiers in a Human Rights Watch report released today(23rd July 2006). The new report containing first-hand accounts by U.S. military personnel interviewed by Human Rights Watch, details detainee abuses at an off-limits facility at Baghdad airport and at other detention centers throughout Iraq.
In the 53-page report, soldiers describe how detainees were routinely subjected to severe beatings, painful stress positions, severe sleep deprivation, and exposure to extreme cold and hot temperatures. The accounts come from interviews conducted by Human Rights Watch, supplemented by memoranda and sworn statements contained in declassified documents…
Human Rights Watch has previously condemned Iraqi insurgent groups for routinely violating international humanitarian law, carrying out abductions and attacks against civilians and humanitarian aid workers, and detonating hundreds of bombs in bazaars, mosques and other civilian areas. Human Rights Watch has stated that those responsible for violations, including the leaders of these groups, should, if captured, be investigated and prosecuted for violations of Iraqi law and the laws of war.”
Human Rights Watch, July 2006
* This information is taken from the BBC's country profiles
**These numbers were taken from UNHCR figures published June 2nd 2006 and Home Office figures June 2005 - June 2006
