News

Tens of Thousands Killed & Maimed in First Year of War in Iraq

The combat related deaths of American soldiers since the attack on Iraq on March 19, 2003, have reached 567 a year later. The total dead for all Coalition forces came to 668. The total killed between March 19 and May 1, when Bush pronounced major military operations completed: 139. The total since May 1: 428. [Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, Lunaville, Data research by Pat Kneisler, 3.17.04]

The US wounded in combat number 2,822. The number of US troops non-combat injured or made ill as a result of the war go over 7,000. An additional 6,891 troops were medically evacuated, according to the Disabled American Veterans. This brings the total of non-mortal injuries to about 17,000.[Nancy Lessin and Gordon Clark, "Stop Hiding the Toll of War," CommonDreams.org, 3.5.04] Other reports set them as high as 20,000.

The estimated civilian casualties of the Iraq War since the attack of US-led coalition forces on March, 2003, range between 22,000 and 50,000 as of November, 2003. Based on a study of Dr. Sabya Faruq, "Continuing Collateral Damage: the Health and Environmental Costs of War on Iraq," released by Al Jazeera.net, 11.11.03. This includes both deaths directly due to fighting and later detonations as well as deaths resulting from continuing poor water, sanitation, lack of medicine and malnutrition. These statistics were accepted by the respected London-based charity, Medact (the British affiliate of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War). The same organization reports that up to 7,356 civilians were killed, apparently as a result of combat, between March 20 and May 1, 2003, that is during the invasion.

- Jim Lobe, "Cluster Bombs, Decapitation bombing Killed Hundreds Says Human Rights Watch," CommonDreams, 12.12.03