Iraq Ranks First Violent Country for Second Time

Iraq is ranked as the country most at risk from violent attacks for the second straight year despite claims of improvement in the country's overall security.

According to Maplecroft's Terrorism Risk Index -the UK-based risk advisory group- although security in Iraq has improved, the scale, human impact and frequency of attacks still make the country the riskiest in the globe.

The statement by the group cites nearly 4,500 civilians killed by terrorist attacks across Iraq last year.

Iraq - which has been witnessing bombings and fighting ever since the US invaded the country - has seen a rise in deadly attacks as Iraqis anxiously await the country's March 7 parliamentary elections.

The index based on 2009 data further ranks Afghanistan second, despite a nine-year-long presence of militaries from the US and its European allies.

The index, however, did not include the civilians killed during operations by US-led forces in the two countries.

The US has been militarily involved in these two countries that top the list.