The number of Iraqi civilians who met violent deaths in the two years after the US-led invasion was today put at 24,865 by an independent research team. The figures, compiled from Iraqi and international media reports, found US and coalition military forces were responsible for 37% of the deaths, with anti-occupation forces and insurgents responsible for 9%. A further 36% were blamed on criminal violence.
Civilian deaths attributed to US and coalition military forces peaked in the invasion period from March to May 2003 - which accounts for 30% of all civilian deaths in the two-year period - but the longer-term trend has been for increasing numbers to die at the hands of insurgents. Figures obtained last week from the Iraqi interior ministry put the average civilian and police officer death toll in insurgent attacks from August 2004 to March 2005 at 800 a month.
The United States Air Force defines collateral damage as:
...Unintentional damage or incidental damage affecting facilities, equipment or personnel occurring as a result of military actions directed against targeted enemy forces or facilities. Such damage can occur to friendly, neutral, and even enemy forces. During Linebacker operations over North Vietnam, for example, some incidental damage occurred from bombs falling outside target areas.
It's sounds so technically harmless. We missed our target and took out a pre-school. Oopsie!
The utter ineptitude of the United States military leadership to secure the country from the get-go has spawned an atmosphere of chaos and violence. Disbanding the entire Iraqi army in early 2003 and then letting them go home with their weapons was brilliant. Thanks L. Paul Bremer for helping to jumpstart the insurgency!
The estimates of Iraqi civilians casualties range anywhere from 25,000 to over 100,000. I doubt we will ever know the real number. The reality is that Iraq will continue to suffer as a direct result of U.S. actions for decades to come.
MORE INFO: A Dossier of Civilian Casualties in Iraq 2003–2005 from Iraq Body Count
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2 comments:
Thanks, Agitprop. Your contributions are always intelligent and most welcome. If I can make one comment, though...
I would not characterize the military leadership of the US as inept, but the CIVILIAN leadership of the military (i.e., Rumsfeld's DOD), who went against the advice of some of our best generals (e.g., Zinni and Shinseki) to fight a war according to standards created by the Project for a New American Century, as outlined in their paper, "Rebuilding America's Defenses."
I don't want to sound like a knee-jerk right-winger, here, but I have the greatest respect for our military. I have ABSOLUTELY NO RESPECT for this administration.
You are correct. That is what I was implying but should have been more clear in stating that it is the Rumsfelds and not the Zinnis who are responsible. The current civilian leadership of the military consists of mostly Chickenhawks who have never served in combat and do not understand the realities of warfare.
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