In other news from Iraq, the Iraqi government reported Tuesday more than 12,000 civilians died last year. Half died over the last four months. December was the deadliest month of 2006 with nearly 2,000 dead. The Iraqi government has been accused of underreporting civilian casualties. The United Nations has said last year’s death toll is nearly double the official count. A recent study in the medical journal The Lancet estimated more than 650,000 deaths in Iraq since the U.S. invasion.