US report: civilian victims in El Salvador on the rise

Statistics compiled by the US Embassy here show that the number of civilians killed in El Salvador has risen - despite US reports that the Salvadorean government has kept trying to improve the human rights situation.

The embassy figures, largely based on local press reports, show that the number of deaths caused by political violence rose 9 percent, to 1,054, in the first six months of this year. It was 961 in the second half of 1982.

Meanwhile, the Salvadorean Army said Monday it wound up a large-scale antiguerrilla sweep in which at least 80 rebels were killed and 12 guerrilla camps destroyed.