More Iraqi Civilians Killed by US Forces Than By Insurgents, Data Shows

[Q]

Published on Saturday, September 25, 2004 by Knight-Ridder

More Iraqi Civilians Killed by US Forces Than By Insurgents, Data Shows

by Nancy A. Youssef

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Operations by U.S. and multinational forces and Iraqi police are killing twice as many Iraqis - most of them civilians - as attacks by insurgents, according to statistics compiled by the Iraqi Health Ministry and obtained exclusively by Knight Ridder.

According to the ministry, the interim Iraqi government recorded 3,487 Iraqi deaths in 15 of the country's 18 provinces from April 5 - when the ministry began compiling the data - until Sept. 19. Of those, 328 were women and children. Another 13,720 Iraqis were injured, the ministry said. While most of the dead are believed to be civilians, the data include an unknown number of police and Iraqi national guardsmen. Many Iraqi deaths, especially of insurgents, are never reported, so the actual number of Iraqis killed in fighting could be significantly higher.

During the same period, 432 American soldiers were killed.

Iraqi officials said the statistics proved that U.S. airstrikes intended for insurgents also were killing large numbers of innocent civilians. Some say these casualties are undermining popular acceptance of the American-backed interim government. That suggests that more aggressive U.S. military operations, which the Bush administration has said are being planned to clear the way for nationwide elections scheduled for January, could backfire and strengthen the insurgency.

American military officials said "damage will happen" in their effort to wrest control of some areas from insurgents. They blamed the insurgents for embedding themselves in communities, saying that's endangering innocent people.

Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, an American military spokesman, said the insurgents were living in residential areas, sometimes in homes filled with munitions. "As long as they continue to do that, they are putting the residents at risk," Boylan said. "We will go after them."

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0925-02.htm

[Cha]

1. Duh! WE got the Big Bombs!

Duh!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. Smart bombs... sometimes the smartest thing to do with a smart

bomb is to not use it. Now that is what I call smart... as far as DU and clusterbombs are concerned... only a stupid person would use them, as illegal as they are. (gr)

[951]

4. WE MUST SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

"I... love bullets at 4 AM, bombings that never end... and TWINS!"

...I had the beat the freep for brains to it

[slor]

2. There you people go again...

hating freedom.