Iraq: thousands of police officers have died in the line of duty

Being a police officer in post-Saddam Iraq is an incredibly dangerous career choice. Since the invasion of Iraq toppled the dictator in March 2003, at least 14,000 Iraqi police officers have lost their lives in the line of duty. And things are not getting much safer. In the first four months of 2021, 23 policemen have been killed ? most recently in the Diyala province, eastern Iraq, in an attack by Islamic State.