Nearly 150 people were killed across Iraq Tuesday in one of its worst days of violence in several weeks. At least 70 were killed in an attack outside Baghdad University. Most of the victims were female students. Four U.S. troops were also killed in Mosul. The violence came as the United Nations made its announcement more than 34,000 civilians died in Iraq last year.

Gianni Magazzeni, chief U.N. human rights official in Iraq: “The civilian population remains the main victim of the prevailing security situation. Law enforcement agencies do not provide effective protection to the population of Iraq, and increasingly miliitias and criminal gangs act in collusion with or have infiltrated the security forces.”