More Iraqi civilians killed by U.S. forces than by insurgents, data shows

[Rose Siding]

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....MORE....

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9753603.htm

[nosmokes]

1. but wasn't the newspeak term 'anti-iragi forces' for the

insurgents used in some headline just yesterday?

file that one under things that make you say *bushit!*

[gottaB]

2. nice to see some facts reported

"All you can do is tell them the truth and hope it eventually will get through."

Ahem.

[enough]

3. This is a front page, above-the-fold story today in the Philly Inquirer

With the headline: Military faulted on Iraq deaths. Suprising to see this story placed so prominently.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/9755153.htm

snip>

Many Iraqis said they thought the numbers showed the multinational forces' disregard for Iraqi lives.

"The Americans do not care about the Iraqis," said Abu Mohammed, 50, who was a major general in Saddam Hussein's army in Baghdad. "They don't care if they get killed, because they don't care about the citizens. The Americans keep criticizing Saddam for the mass graves. How many graves are the Americans making in Iraq?"

Others blame the multinational forces for allowing security to disintegrate, inviting in extremists from everywhere and threatening the lives of everyday Iraqis.

"Anyone who hates America has come here to fight," said Hamed, the ministry official. "Saddam's supporters, people who don't have jobs, other Arab fighters. All these people are on our streets. But everyone is afraid of the Americans, not the fighters. And they should be."

snip>

[leftchick]

4. It has been front page news in the Arab world for a long time.....

too bad it takes so long for our media to catch up.....



A man rescued from the rubble of destroyed houses is treated at a hospital in Fallujah, Iraq (news - web sites), Saturday Sept. 25, 2004. U.S. warplanes, tanks and artillery units bombed the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah on Saturday, killing at least eight people and wounding 15, hospital officials and witnesses said. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)


In the arab world they see and read of US atrocities like this daily when most amerikans believe the "precision strike" bullshit!

[snippy]

7. So true. It is not surprising that "they hate us for our freedom."

BUSH DISARMED THIS IRAQI

[Zorra]

10. The poster boy for the Bu$h re-selection campaign.

That picture will make every Bu$h voter just quiver with joy and excitement, and the promise of more to come if their glorious leader gets another four years to maim and kill so many more innocent children around the globe.

[enough]

8. Yes, we love our ignorance.

No need for Big Brother to enforce mass brainwashing, America embraces its brainwashing voluntarily in the form of our mass media.

That's why I was surprised to see a story like this on the front page of a major newspaper -- the story of a report by Iraqis about the devastation brought down upon them by their liberators. Allowing perhaps an inkling of the idea of WHY Iraqis are fighting so fiercely in their own country.

[anakie]

5. and around it goes

the more Iraqis killed by US forces the more people joining in the insurgency.

Bush loves to say how much better it is now Saddam is in prison but for that same 6 month period I wonder how many the Saddam regime would have killed.

[leftchick]

6. The US and bush* are much worse than saddam....

he never promised democracy and freedom while butchering them.....

[Barrett808]

9. "There is no way to refute such stories"

Yeah, it's a real drag being an occupier and all.

[WillyT]

11. Kick !!!

:grr::mad::nuke::kick:

[struggle4progress]

12. Is this what Boosh calls "good news"? eom

[pinto]

13. saw this take a second look, headline, in local K-R press here, too (CA).

I had seen the piece here, on DU, already, but out at breakfast this morning I saw it sitting in the local paper's vending machine, too.

Months ago, there was a small industry blurb about the Knight Ridder CEO's commitment to Iraq war coverage. Little of their best had made it into the local syndicate's pages. Maybe that's changing....

[KittyWampus]

14. If The Media Was Doing It's Job-This Would Be More Widely Known

Like a great many other facts.