Iraqi civilian deaths
Listening to KPBS’ Editors Roundtable program, of which I am an occasional guest, almost always prompts a reaction in me. This morning’s show was no exception. I listened to the first two segments—the sale of the Union-Tribune and the situation in Iraq—and several of the editors’ comments provoked me in some way.
But I shall limit myself here to one comment. A female caller involved in protests for peace in Iraq said that 1 million Iraqis had died since the U.S. invaded six years ago this week. Tony Perry of the L.A. Times rightly commented on that statement, noting that it’s unknown how many Iraqis have died as a result of the violence.
What I wanted to Perry to add is that the reason no one knows is that the Bush administration made a policy decision at the beginning of the war not to count deaths of Iraqi civilians. The reason, of course, is that counting the deaths of innocent people is bad for public relations. It certainly wouldn’t be too difficult to do—after all, those dead bodies and parts of people who’ve been blown to bits end up somewhere, like morgues.
Estimates have varied wildly, but there’s a pretty reputable organization that keeps track of deaths as best it can. That group is called Iraq Body Count. It compiles official reports and media accounts of specific incidents and keeps a running tally. As of now, its latest count is between 91,131 and 99,510 Iraqi civilians dead due to violence only. That averages to between 15,189 and 16,585 per year. Last year (2008) marked the lowest total (9,204 on the high end) since the war began.
Check out the website. It’s incredibly detailed in its methodology and sourcing of individual incidents.
