A chart made by the Pentagon on the situation in Iraq suggested that some 26,000 Iraqis may have been killed or wounded since the beginning of last year, the US media reported Saturday.

The chart, released by the US Congress, provides daily Iraqi casualties during six separate periods from Jan. 1, 2004, to Sept. 16 this year.

In the latest period between Aug. 29 and Sept. 16 this year, the daily figure is 64, showing a sharp increase over the first period between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2004 when 21 Iraqis were killed or wounded daily on average.

The total figure suggested that some 26,000 Iraqis may have been killed or wounded in conflicts between Jan. 1 2004, and Sept. 16 this year.

However, Pentagon spokesman Greg Hicks said Saturday that these figures, based on initial incident reports by subordinate units of coalition forces in Iraq, are not meant to be taken as comprehensive or authoritative.

A US military official told reporters last week that according to his estimates, at least 30,000 Iraqis may have been killed since the war began in March 2003.

Media reports in the United States said that at least 3,870 Iraqis may have been killed in violent incidents during the past six months, of whom two-thirds were civilians and the rest security personnel.

On Oct. 25, the US death toll passed the benchmark 2,000, and was described by the US media as a "grim milestone." At least 2,015 US soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the war and more than 15,000 have been wounded.

Source: Xinhua