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26,000? I Don't Think So Email Print

By S M Dixon
10/30/2005 04:26:42 PM EST

The Pentagon claims that insurgents have killed 26,000 Iraqi civillians between January 1, 2004 and September 16, 2005, but this statistic doesn't ring true and is more than likely an Oval Office-driven ploy to shore-up public support for "staying the course" in Iraq.
The number directly contradicts a story from March of this year -- a story that received little attention from the Establishment Media.

In late March, the L.A. Times focused on the carnage in Iraq:

As Iraq's newly elected leaders cobble together the foundation of a fledgling democracy, a killing epidemic has taken hold of this troubled nation. Ministry of Health statistics show that record numbers of Iraqi civilians are coming to violent ends, particularly here in the capital.
Assassinations and bombings have garnered worldwide attention. But Iraqi officials say violence unrelated to the insurgency is growing, and Iraqis are more likely to die at the hands - or in the cross-fire - of kidnappers, carjackers and angry neighbors than in car bombings.

In some cases, authorities say, the motives are so opaque that they cannot tell whether they are investigating a crime disguised as an act of war or a political assassination masquerading as a violent business dispute.

(Emphasis added)

But suddenly -- now that the Bush Administration is mired in scandal and anti-war sentiment has rendered Bush's job approval numbers lower than Paris Hilton's IQ -- the Pentagon can miraculously divine the precise motive and means of 26,000 Iraqi deaths?

Not to sound conspiratorial, but it's awfully convenient that this casualty figure surfaces at a time when the Oval Office needs a motivator to get the American people back onboard the pro-war train.


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26,000? I Don't Think So | 4 comments (4 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
26000 (none / 1)
Hey, if there are 26,000 insurgent-caused civilian deaths, then doesn't that actually reinforce the notion that our presence in Iraq and our Democracy spreading has actually been worse for the safety of the Iraqi people than the rule of Saddam?

If the number is 26,000, and I believe it could be, then it's a tragic reminder of our failure.

by ColdFusion04 on 10/30/2005 07:17:55 PM EST

You're absolutely right (none / 0)
The Bushites have a lot to answer for.

by S M Dixon on 10/31/2005 01:34:36 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Bad insurgency! Bad! Bad! (none / 0)
I have to agree with Coldfusion04. I can't see how this makes them look better. It only highlights the mess they've made and the carnage they've unleashed. And of course, the incompetence and lack of planning  would be reflected in this statistic, too. I can't see how it helps them, but then, they don't live in the reality based community.

by pat on 10/31/2005 07:22:35 AM EST

War math? Only in bloody aftermath (none / 0)
And hindsight is now 80/80.

"Approximately 80 percent of all attacks are directed against Coalition Forces, but 80 percent of all casualties are suffered by Iraqis," the report said. It was made available on the Pentagon's Web site.

(Reuters)

The Pentagon couldn't afford to "do" the civilian math until the bloody aftermath.  It would have been too shocking and awful to publish civilian death counts until now, when the DoD can safely claim that the daily dead-by-insurgent figures are greater than the daily dead-by-invasion and occupation.

Congrats on the new blog, all.  Look forward to checking in.

by musing graze on 10/31/2005 12:07:36 PM EST

26,000? I Don't Think So | 4 comments (4 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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