No One Knows Iraq’s Secret Daily Death Toll

[Karmadillo]

http://www.aljazeerah.info/News%20archives/2004%20News%20archives/July/12%20n/No%20One%20Knows%20Iraqs%20Secret%20Daily%20Death%20Toll.htm

Agence France Presse, Arab News

BAGHDAD, 12 July 2004 — No one knows how many Iraqi civilians die every day in the Iraqi and military attacks which have scarred the country since the US-led invasion last year. Rough tolls have been compiled, but experts say the real figure is likely much higher.

“The only way to establish the full extent of casualties is an official commission on civilian deaths, with a clear, published method of working and external verification of the work by an appropriate body independent of the United States or Britain,” said John Slobodan, one of the founders of the website www.iraqbodycount.net.

Based on international press reports, Iraqbodycount regularly updates its figures for the number of civilians killed since the war started on March 19, 2003. Its death toll as of yesterday was between 11,164 and 13,118 people.

The fundamental instability of the country is one of the main reasons why it is almost impossible to record every death.

Figures produced by the US-led military forces and the Iraqi authorities rarely match up and are often imprecise.

more...

[LittleApple81]

1. Didn't the Americans forbid the Iraqi hospitals to keep count? n/t

[frankly_fedup2]

2. What? How can they do that?

After all, aren't they a "Democracy" now? You cannot do things like that when you have a Democracy? (gaging-sarcasm)