85,000 Iraqis killed from 2004 - 2008 (Iraqi Government Report) [View All]

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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/14/world/main5383616.shtml

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 14, 2009

85,000 Iraqis killed from 2004 - 2008
Iraqi Government Report Based on Death Certificates Issued by Health Ministry

(AP) At least 85,000 people lost their lives from 2004 to 2008 during Iraq's violent, sectarian uprising, according to the first official report by the Iraqi government on the death toll since the war began.

The report, released by the Iraqi Human Rights Ministry late Tuesday as part of a larger study on the country's human rights situation, said 85,694 people were killed from 2004-08, and 147,195 were wounded during the same period.

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.
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The report also breaks down some specific numbers, saying 1,279 children and 2,334 women were killed. It also puts the death toll of the university professors at 263, judges at 21, lawyers 95 and journalists at 269 — some of the professions which were specifically targeted as the country descended into chaos