Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (C) gestures as he talks to local government officials and tribal leaders during a meeting in Basra, 550 km (340 miles) south of Baghdad March 31, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Hundreds of people were killed in the clashes across Iraq, helping to push the death toll in March to a record high since last August.

According to government statistics issued Tuesday, some 1,080 people, including 923 civilians, died from all kinds of violence in March, up nearly 50 percent from the previous month.