Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Winning Hearts and Minds



BAGHDAD (AP) – At least 85,000 Iraqis lost their lives from 2004-2008 in violence, the government said in its first comprehensive tally released since the war began.

The report by the Human Rights Ministry came out late Tuesday as part of a larger study on human rights in the country. It said 85,694 people were killed in the four-year period, and 147,195 were wounded during the same period.

The toll counted Iraqi civilians, military and police. It did not cover U.S. military deaths, insurgents, or foreigners, including contractors or U.S. forces.

The Associated Press reported in April that government statistics tracked 87,215 Iraqi deaths from 2005-February 2009, a toll very similar to the latest figures released.

The Iraqi death toll has been a hotly disputed subject and critics on both sides of the political spectrum have accused the other side of manipulating the death numbers to sway public opinion.

As Iraq became increasingly violent following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, it also became increasingly difficult to independently track such figures on a wide scale.

The number obtained by The AP was a minimum count of violent deaths. The official who provided the data to the AP, on condition of anonymity because of its sensitivity, estimated the actual number of deaths was 10 to 20 percent higher because thousands are still missing and civilians were buried in the chaos of war without official records.

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Well, they attacked us first. They didn't? Whatever.