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At least 122,000 civilians were killed during the US-led occupation of Iraq, 15,000 more than previously thought. The civilian toll accounts for 80 per cent of all deaths in the Iraq conflict.<\/p>\nby Angus Stickler and Emma Slater<\/p>\n
At least 122,000 civilians were killed during the US-led occupation of Iraq, 15,000 more than previously thought. The civilian toll accounts for 80 per cent of all deaths in the Iraq conflict.<\/p>\n
The numbers of dead were recorded by coalition troops throughout the conflict. The leaked documents provide the first view of these numbers.<\/p>\n
Iraq Body Count (IBC)<\/a>, a London-based group has been analysing the numbers for the past two months, comparing them to an extensive database of civilian deaths in the war it had built up from media reports and other public records.<\/p>\n From IBC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s analysis the US files identify more than 15,000 civilian deaths that never appeared in media reports or public records. This new information pushes the total number of fatalities in the war, including combatants, to more than 150,000.<\/p>\n Loss of life Related article: Hundreds of civilians gunned down at checkpoints <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Already IBC has uncovered thousands of deaths that were never known about. In some, scores of Iraqi civilians were killed in a single incident.<\/p>\n For example, a log taken on October 27 2005 records the deaths of 25 civilians and two Iraqi police officers killed in a tribal attack in the northern province of Diyala, Iraq:<\/p>\n October 27 2005 In another, previously unknown incident on December 19 2004 in Ninewah province, US forces discover 12 murdered civilians:<\/p>\n December 19 2004 In a third example, on January 16 2007, Iraqi police found the bodies of 20 civilians in a mini-van in Baghdad. They had all been murdered.<\/p>\n But it is the smaller cases, where one or two people die, that have so inflated the estimates, says John Sloboda, director of IBC:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153These cases are the ones that tend to get less attention from the press and media \u00e2\u20ac\u201c many just don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get reported,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he told the Bureau.<\/p>\n Related article: <\/strong>Timeline of the Iraq war<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n New details On the evening of November 29 2006, Iraqi soldiers made a gruesome discovery near the city of Baquba, in Diyala province.<\/p>\n The following day, a Reuters report said: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Iraqi soldiers have found 28 bodies in a mass grave near the volatile city of Baquba, the US military said in a statement on Thursday. The statement gave no details of how they had died, whether they were all men or included women and children.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n Related article: <\/strong>US troops fail to record civilian deaths in one of Iraq\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bloodiest battles<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The US military file sheds more light on the event, listing the names of the deceased, one by one. This information will be used by IBC to bolster the Reuters report, giving vital details to the families of the deceased.<\/p>\n US under-counts civilian deaths
\n<\/strong>There are 52,000 war logs that record deaths in Iraq \u00e2\u20ac\u201c this includes civilian and coalition casualties, as well as those classed as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153enemy kills\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. IBC intends to complete a thorough analysis of every file, a process that could take several years.<\/p>\n
\nat 1115c PJCC reports 2x tribes were exchanging [small arms fire], 2x IP were killed in the tribal dispute\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 the initial attack resulted in possible 25x [Iraqi citizens] KIA.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nAt 0820C, 1-24IN reported that a walk in source informed them about 5X dead bodies in a cemetary at [redacted] in Mosul\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 also discovered 7X more dead bodies at the intersection of RTE [redacted] and [redacted] enroute to retrieve the previous bodies.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Following the release of the US military war logs, the civilian death toll has risen from 107,000 to 122,000, according to Iraq Body Count. <\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n
\n<\/strong>The war logs supply more than just casualty figures. Many give details of how, when and why civilians died. Some even provide names of the killed and wounded.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The US files record just over 66,000 civilian deaths. This falls well below IBC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s total figure. The discrepancy appears because of under-reporting in the US files, particularly when logging civilian casualties in air strikes.<\/p>\n
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