[JURIST] The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) [official website] on Thursday urged the Iraqi government [press release] to take steps to "assert control over the security forces and all armed groups" in the country, noting that there has been an increase in allegations of "death squads," summary executions and torture during the first two months of 2006. In its bi-monthly human rights report [DOC text] released Thursday, UNAMI also expressed concern over the "conditions and the legality of detention," and said that "overcrowding and the lack of judicial oversight remain problematic."

The security situation in Iraq has deteriorated following the violence in late February [JURIST report], including the destruction of the Al Askari Shrine [Wikipedia backgrounder] in Samarra. Reuters has more.