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2009-04-23 Iraq

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Posted by ed 2009-04-23 12:17|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 Would be nice if someone with more methodological flair and diligence than I would render these findings intelligible in a military context. That is, explain in plain terms why and how the numbers are the way they are. That way, anyone with a brain could understand that Coalition forces killed very, very, very few civilians, and most of those killed by the coalition were mostly at risk due to the war crimes of our enemies (e.g. deliberately seeking military advantage by using non-combatants as cover).

The StratPage article notes that around 3 percent of civilian deaths involved use of air power. That's a tiny hint to the intelligent that the Coalition's nearly unbelievable care and deliberation in using force (from the ROE to the higher-level orders/approvals given in specific situations to the fire discipline of each soldier and Marine) did in fact mean that the enemy caused Iraq's suffering since 2003.

Sounds simple, but the utter incomprehension and laziness of most people in thinking about war and civilian casualties - all of this within a false framework created and nurtured by culture, "education", and mass media - is a significant factor reducing public support for needed military actions. It's bittersweet satisfaction to patiently disassemble someone's false premises and misunderstanding of this topic brick by brick, using facts not in dispute (though often news to the other person), and then see how they think about Iraq and related topics. An ounce of intelligence and intellectual honesty on their yields (in my experience) pretty humble and altered views. And don't forget that many people have little to go on save monstrous slanderous absurdities like the "cluster data" surveys that show a zillion Iraqis killed by the evil invaders.

Posted by Verlaine 2009-04-23 15:50|| 2009-04-23 15:50|| Front Page Top

#2 AP Exclusive: Secret tally has 87,000 Iraqis dead
A previously undisclosed Iraqi government tally obtained by The Associated Press shows that at least 87,215 Iraqis have been killed in violence since 2005.

An in-depth AP review shows the total for the entire war exceeds 110,000 Iraqis. That figure is based on the government tally and counts of casualties from earlier years from hospital sources and media reports.

A government official shared the Iraqi death tally on condition of anonymity, providing the most authoritative accounting to date of the war's toll.

It still excludes thousands of people who are missing and civilians who were buried in the chaos of war without official notice.

Posted by ed 2009-04-23 15:57|| 2009-04-23 15:57|| Front Page Top

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