Despite efforts by the Iraqi government to ensure respect for human rights and re-establish the rule of law, an unprecedented number of 3,590 civilians were killed in July, according to a new United Nations report released on Wednesday.

The latest toll brought the total for July and August to nearly 6,600, the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said in its latest human rights report.

"Particularly abhorrent are terrorist attacks against markets and mosques and the killing of religious pilgrims," the report said, adding that a spike in sectarian and revenge attacks took place in July.

The report cited the lack of centralized control over the use of force as a cause for terrorist attacks, the growth of militia and the emergence of organized crime, resulting in indiscriminate killings of civilians, with hundreds of bodies appearing throughout the country bearing signs of severe torture and execution style killing.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned that if the current violence in Iraq continues, a full-scale civil war might break out in the country.

(Xinhua News Agency September 21, 2006)