Nearly 800 killed in Iraq's bloodiest month this year - U.N.

A man walks past the site of a car bomb attack that occurred on Wednesday in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, May 29, 2014. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Nearly 800 people were killed in violence across Iraq in May, the United Nations said on Sunday, making it the deadliest month so far this year.

Of the total 799 people killed, 196 were members of the Iraqi security forces, and the rest were civilians - often victims of attacks by Sunni Islamist insurgents who have been regaining ground and momentum in Iraq over the past year.