BAGHDAD, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Civilian deaths from violence in Iraq rose by a third from the previous month, with 1,653 people reported killed, according to government statistics released on Wednesday. The figures also showed 224 Iraqi soldiers and police had been killed. While the number of civilian deaths was a sharp increase from June, when 1227 were reported killed, the figures were in line with those of other months this year. The U.S. military saw a fall in its reported deaths in Iraq, with 78 reported killed in July after three straight months when the toll topped 100 dead. Washington said the fall in the number of deaths of its soldiers was a sign its tactic of sending an additional 30,000 troops to Iraq and spreading them out in neighbourhoods was having its desired effect of reducing violence.
Anti-war protesters hold pictures of South Koreans killed overseas during a candle-light vigil demanding negotiations between the U.S. government and the Taliban for the safe return of South Korean hostages in Afghanistan, near the U.S. embassy in Seoul, August 4, 2007. The Afghan government and Taliban kidnappers on Saturday sought a venue for negotiations to try to free 21 South Korean Christian hostages held for more than two weeks, the provincial police chief said. The slain Koreans (from L-R) are Kim Sun-il, killed by Iraqi militants in Iraq on June 22, 2004, Yoon Jang-ho, killed in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan on February 27, 2007, Bae Hyung-kyu and Shim Sung-min, kidnapped and killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan on July 25, 2007 and on July 31, 2007 respectively. The banner reads: "How many more will be victimized? Stop the war and dispatch of troops which is causing the deaths!"