The US has disagreed with Iraqi assertions that July was the deadliest month there for more than two years.

伊拉克方面称，七月是近两年多来伤亡人数最多的一个月，美国对此表示否认。

According to the US military, 222 Iraqis died in July - fewer than half the 535 Baghdad says lost their lives.

The US released its own figures after Baghdad's information prompted concern that insurgents²（叛乱分子） are exploiting a post-election power vacuum.

Insurgent¹ attacks have increased amid failure to form a government since inconclusive（不确定的，非决定性的） elections in March.

Sunni, Shia and Kurdish factions³（派系，内讧） that won most seats are still bickering⁴（争吵） over who should be the next prime minister.

Both former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and incumbent⁵（在职者，现任者） Nouri Maliki insist that they are best placed to lead the war-torn country.

March's elections left Mr Allawi's Sunni-backed secular⁶ Iraqiyya alliance with 91 seats, just two ahead of Mr Maliki's mainly Shia coalition⁷.

Both are well short of the 163 seats needed to form a government, meaning that some sort of wider coalition will be needed.

People are getting fed up with（受够了，厌倦） the stalemate（僵局，困境） , the BBC's Hugh Sykes reports from Baghdad.

It is very hot - above 50C (122F) some days - but there are incessant⁸（不停的，连续的） power cuts, and there have already been street demonstrations⁹ complaining about the failure to provide enough electricity for fans, air conditioners and fridges.

And violence is beginning to re-occupy the political vacuum, our correspondent says.

The US offered no full explanation as to why its casualty figures differed so markedly from those issues by the Iraqi authorities.

As well as a higher death toll¹⁰ - 535 compared to 222 - the Iraqi figures also suggested more than 1,000 Iraqis were injured during July. The US, in contrast, said 782 were hurt.

"The claim that July 2010 was the deadliest month in Iraq since May 2008 is incorrect," a US military statement noted¹¹.