Iraqi death tolls drop sharply in May, data shows

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) - The number of deaths among Iraqi civilians, police and insurgents fell sharply in May, data from the country's Health, Defense and Interior ministries showed, and the American death for the month toll in Iraq was at its lowest in four years.

In May, 504 Iraqi civilians lost their lives, the data said, compared with 969 in April. And the death toll for American troops there stood at 21 as of Saturday - the lowest since February 2004, when 20 troops were killed.

The number of Iraqi police killed also plummeted to 32 - less than half of April's death toll for Iraqi police. Insurgent death tolls fell from 354 to 172. However, the number of Iraqi soldiers killed only fell slightly - from 38 to 27, the data said.