5,736 Iraqis killed in 2005 violence-official data

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IBA849977.htm

5,736 Iraqis killed in 2005 violence-official data

BAGHDAD, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Nearly 6,000 Iraqi civilians, police and troops were killed in violence last year, data released by the Interior Ministry on Tuesday showed.

The figures were lower than those compiled by independent bodies basing their calculations on media reports.

Of the 5,736 dead, 4,020 were civilians, 1,241 police officers, and 475 were Iraqi soldiers, the date showed. No comparable figures for previous years was available.

In addition, 1,734 people described as terrorists were killed, the ministry said.

...

Another Web site, icasualties.org, which compiles media reports, estimates that nearly 5,700 civilians were killed in Iraq last year, and more than 2,500 police and Iraqi troops. In 2005, 845 U.S. soldiers were killed.

[zbdent]

1. It just occurred to me

don't the military heads normally inflate the number of casualties of the "enemy" during a war, to make sure that they're shown how well things are going?

And yet, we're "at war", and you rarely, if ever, hear about the number killed by our forces . . .

[HuffleClaw]

2. well, they tried, early in the 'war' to trumpet about numbers of

dead 'terrorists' but they gave up pretty quick. it got pretty silly fast. especially with arab media showing families digging their 'terrorist' children and grandparents from the rubble of their homes after a us airstrike on a 'terrorist safe house' or whatever the excuse of the day was. lately, they've simply been claiming a 'miss' when they slaughter some family.

[merwin]

3. Clever wording though. Notice they said Iraqis. What about the ones who

were so disfigured that you couldn't identify them? Not able to verify that he/she is an Iraqi, therefore not included in the count.

Just a suspicion on my part though. Nothing to back it up except for the administration's previous record.

[Toots]

4. And not a one wearing a military uniform

We are slaughtering civilians.................................:(