By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
BAGHDAD, Iraq – On October 20, the Iraqi Ministry of Health released a report concluding that eighty five thousand Iraqis were killed from 2004 to 2008. The report marks the first time since the beginning of the war that the Iraqi government attempted to estimate the number of dead. The estimate includes violent deaths of military, police and civilians, but fails to account for foreigners killed violently since the beginning of the war.
Previous attempts to estimate the number of Iraqis killed were controversial. Estimates produced earlier using a number of different methods put the number dead between one hundred thousand and half a million.
According to the ministry’s report, the number of dead includes over twelve hundred children and twenty three hundred women. Also among the killed are over two hundred fifty professors, twenty judges, ninety lawyers and two hundred sixty journalists. It is believed that these professions were specifically targeted when the country descended into chaos. Fifteen thousand unidentified bodies that have been found since 2004 were also included.
The current report does not account for the first few months of the U.S. led incursion into the country. There was no functioning government in the country at the time to count Iraqi deaths. The report additionally does not account from the number of missing Iraqis. Estimates put that number close to ten thousand individuals.
The report comes at a time where there has been a spike in the violence in Iraq. The Iraqi government blamed the increase on their neighboring countries, Iran and Syria. They accused Syria of harboring former Iraqi Baathists while the United States claims that Iran has been funding, arming and training armed groups in Iraq.
The Iraqi foreign minister has urged the countries to cease their operations within the country. Also, the human rights minister, Wijdan Salim, said, “”They need to stop interfering and stop the terrorism from entering Iraq by their borders.”
Despite the report and alleged interference from neighboring countries, Salim remains optimistic that the situation in Iraq will improve. He remains hopeful that “2010 will be better than now.”
For more information, please see:
Los Angeles Times – 85,000 Iraqis Killed In Almost 5 Years Of War, Baghdad Says – 15 October 2009
AFP – More Than 85,000 Iraqis Killed From 2004-2008: Ministry – 14 October 2009
Al Jazeera – Iraq Releases New Death Toll Figure – 14 October 2009
BBC – Iraq Says 85,000 Violently Killed – 14 October 2009
Reuters – Iraq Rights Ministry Says 85,000 Killed In 2004-08 – 13 October 2009
